David R. Sands

George MacDonnell and the skill of the Irish

Their poets, golfers and alemakers may be world-class, but Ireland doesn't really rank as a powerhouse on the global chess scene. The Emerald Isle boasts just one grandmaster, Russian-born Alexander Baburin, who earned his title nearly three decades ago, while the highest-rated Irish player, IM Sam Collins, sits at 852nd in FIDE's ranking of the active players around the globe.

March 17, 2026

George Washington, Manny Pacquiao and the art of chess branding

Along with its multitude of other virtues, chess can be a great opportunity for personal branding.

March 10, 2026

American rivals set for early Candidates’ clash

The battle to pick the challengers for the open and women's world championship title moves into high gear this month as top chess players gather in Paphos, Cyprus, at the end of the month for the FIDE Candidates and FIDE Women's Candidates Tournaments.

March 3, 2026

Dutch GM Jan Timman, legend in chess, dies at age 74

Dutch GM Jan Timman, who emerged as the West's best player challenging the Soviet chess dynasty in the decades after American Bobby Fischer abandoned the game, died Wednesday at the age of 74 after a short illness.

February 24, 2026

Talented Taimanov soared despite storied loss to Fischer

It's always a bummer when the first line of your obituary kicks off with the lowest moment of your professional life. For Soviet Grandmaster Mark Taimanov, born 100 years ago this month in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, it's also deeply unfair.

February 17, 2026

A milestone title and the mercurial genius of Emory Tate

For American chess, Black History Month comes this year as Black history is being made.

February 10, 2026

Woodward wins a promotion with nervy Tata triumph

The Uzbeks claimed the top prizes, but the American contingent made a very strong showing as the traditional Tata Steel Masters and Challengers tournaments of 2026 wrapped up Sunday.

February 3, 2026

Young Yanks shine as Tata chess tournaments heat up

America's biggest guns are sitting this one out, but three young Yanks are making a strong impression at the first elite chess tournament of the new year.

January 27, 2026

Guilty pleasure: Elementary mistakes from top players at Tata Steel Chess Masters

The study of chess has long been enriched by a mini-glossary of great German words, from zwischenzug (a surprise "in-between" move) and zeitnot (a lack of time on the clock to calculate) to sitzfleisch (the stamina to sit on one's, er, wallet and stay focused when one's queen-and-pawn endgame passes the seven-hour mark).

January 20, 2026

Campus champ: Webster University claims another college chess title

College football fans know that this has been a down year for dynasties. If you're a fan of college chess, by contrast, you know that Goliath is alive, well and still king of the hill.

January 13, 2026

A parade of chess winners marches into the new year

The rush of year-end tournaments near and far means a lot of chess players can welcome in 2026 with a very good feeling about how 2025 came to a close.

January 6, 2026

Remembering Spassky, Naroditsky as a busy chess year closes

For such a logical game, chess can be quite contrary when it wants to be. The Christmas-to-New Year's Day lull, for instance, when much of the world slows down to focus on presents and parties, is paradoxically one of the busiest weeks on the global chess calendar.

December 30, 2025

Some early holiday cheer for young chess champs in Spokane, Washington

'Tis the season -- and the week -- of great anticipation for children all over the world. And some of those children are not waiting until Dec. 25 to claim the presents under the tree.

December 23, 2025

Indian phenom in chess snags last berth in Candidates’ field

Indian GM Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa -- "Pragg" to his friends and space-stressed headline writers everywhere -- has snagged the eighth and final slot in next spring's Candidates tournament, riding a string of strong results this year that began with a win at the elite Tata Steel Masters in January and wrapped up with a tie for first in the just-completed London Chess Classic Open.

December 16, 2025

Best of Chess freeware serves up only the fun stuff

Santa has come a little early this year, if you happen to be a chess columnist pressed for high-entertainment content during the holiday season.

December 9, 2025

Unlikely trio joins race to challenge chess champ Gukesh

The field of grandmasters competing in the next spring's Candidates Tournament to pick a challenger to reigning world champ GM Dommaraju Gukesh of India is now all but set, and one thing is for sure: There will be a lot of dark horses in the stable when the clocks start in Cyprus on March 28.

December 2, 2025

Narrow escapes, reasons for gratitude at the chessboard

In this week of giving thanks, perhaps no one has greater cause for gratitude than Chinese GM Wei Yi.

November 25, 2025

Dulles tourney puts Nakamura over the top in title quest

If American GM Hikaru Nakamura succeeds in his quest to become the first American world chess champion since Bobby Fischer abdicated the throne 50 years ago, let the record show the crucial contributions provided by Tanush Dokka, Khanim Ismayilova, FM Matthew Guo Diao, IM Susal Thewjan De Silva and GM Praveen Balakrishnan.

November 18, 2025

Local boy makes good: Ginsburg shares world senior title

It sounds like a paradox, but the D.C. area is becoming something of a cradle for senior world champions.

November 11, 2025

Suba’s originality helped reshape modern chess

Grandmaster Mihai Suba, who died last week at the age of 78, had a distinguished career at the chessboard.

November 4, 2025