David R. Sands

Attacking wizard Shabalov plays defense on way to U.S. senior chess title

Pittsburgh GM Alexander Shabalov has been a frequent "contributor" to this column over the years, mostly because of the many games demonstrating his brilliant attacking skills.

July 19, 2022

Some old favorites shine on the summer chess calendar

It's a busy period for chess -- the Candidates Tournament has just concluded, the U.S. senior, junior and junior girls' championships are all underway in St. Louis, and the 44th Olympiad is set to start in Chennai, India, in just over two weeks.

July 12, 2022

Japan says elections will go on despite the assassination of Shinzo Abe

Japan will proceed with scheduled elections Sunday for the parliament's upper house despite the stunning assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, government officials said.

July 8, 2022

No clarity, but no shortage of candidates ready to replace Johnson

It might be easier -- and quicker -- to list who is not considering a run to succeed Boris Johnson as Conservative Party leader and thus the 56th and next prime minister of Great Britain.

July 7, 2022

‘Them’s the breaks’ — Johnson stepping down as Britain’s leader

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned Thursday, brought down by a steady stream of personal and policy scandals just three years after leading his Conservative Party to its biggest parliamentary majority in more than three decades.

July 7, 2022

Nepomniachtchi wins second chess title shot as champ Carlsen wavers

He's not quite the Rodney Dangerfield of top-level chess, but GM Ian Nepomniachtchi was not getting a whole lot of respect ahead of the FIDE Candidates Tournament in Madrid, despite having won the same event just over a year ago.

July 5, 2022

South Korea’s Yoon denies anti-China push in new NATO ties

Reflecting the fine line China's Asian neighbors must walk, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said his precedent-setting trip to the just-concluded NATO summit should not be seen as a shot across Beijing's bow.

July 3, 2022

China lashes out against ‘Asian version of NATO’

The decision by NATO leaders for the first time to highlight the global security threat posed by China has triggered outrage in Beijing, where the Chinese foreign ministry on Thursday accused the Western military alliance of pushing a narrative that "distorts the truth" and "promotes confrontation" between the West and China.

June 30, 2022

China rejects NATO criticism in new strategic blueprint

NATO is turning its attention to China, and Beijing is not happy about it.

June 30, 2022

A timely tribute to the glories of Ukrainian chess

If his loss to world champion Magnus Carlsen in their lopsided title match last year is having any hangover effects, GM Ian Nepomniachtchi is hiding them well.

June 28, 2022

United Nations rights chief Bachelet slams Supreme Court abortion decision

The top United Nations human rights official denounced the Supreme Court's decision Friday to overturn the national right to abortion as "a huge blow to women's human rights and gender equality."

June 24, 2022

Early takedowns as candidates battle for world chess title shot

The plot got thick quick as the FIDE Candidates Tournament kicked off last week in Madrid, with two Americans among the eight elite grandmasters competing for the right to take on world champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway later this year for the game's ultimate prize.

June 21, 2022

Tehran still wants nuclear deal despite faltering negotiations

Iran's top diplomat said Tuesday that Tehran still hopes to revive the 2015 nuclear deal despite stalled talks with the U.S. and other world powers that have led many to conclude the accord is dead.

June 14, 2022

Coaching him up: Kasparov chess mentor Nikitin left a lasting legacy

It's graduation season and a fitting time to celebrate the teachers. Alexander Nikitin, who died June 5 in Moscow at the age of 87, was a promising Soviet junior player and a respectably strong IM in a country that turned out respectably strong IMs by the hundreds.

June 14, 2022

Russia claims progress with brutal tactics on smaller battlefield

Russian military leaders are finally able to declare a measure of success in their troubled invasion of neighboring Ukraine, as a brutal but concentrated assault in the south and east has steadily advanced in recent days in the long-disputed Donbas region.

June 7, 2022

Flipping the burger: Russian-rebranded McDonald’s outlets to open next week

There's one business line that has been booming in Russia since Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine led hundreds of foreign corporations to pull out: re-branding.

June 7, 2022

Prey bite back at predators in upset-filled Cherry Blossom Classic

The Darwinian logic of your typical weekend Swiss tournament dictates that the big sharks -- usually with "GM" or "IM" before their name on the wall chart -- prey on the smaller fry in the early going and then square off against one another for the big prizes in the money rounds.

June 7, 2022

Boris Johnson turns back leadership challenge after ‘Partygate’ mess

Prime Minister Boris Johnson narrowly turned back an internal Conservative party revolt on Monday, ensuring the colorful British leader will stay in his post for at least another year.

June 6, 2022

Johnson favored to survive Conservative Party revolt and keep job

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face a fight for his job earlier than expected Monday after rebels in his ruling Conservative Party secured enough support for an immediate no-confidence vote.

June 6, 2022

In a war gone sideways, some Russian hawks push Putin to do more

The two Russian senior colonels caught on tape did not hide their fury as Moscow's invasion of Ukraine ground into its fourth inconclusive month, but the target of their anger was not the Ukrainians shooting at them but their own military and political superiors, who they said -- profanely and repeatedly -- were not trying to win the war they started.

June 5, 2022