Articles by David R. Sands
The annual Christmas holiday tournament held in the Sussex town of Hastings, England, may have peaked a little early, but it's still been a reliable producer of top-flight chess in the 125 years since its unforgettable opening act.
Published
November 29, 2022
Shares
For many of us, chess over the board can be a dizzying roller coaster of fates, with the advantage often swinging wildly between the players like a badminton shuttlecock as the mistakes and misjudgments pile up.
Published
November 22, 2022
Shares
Tuan Tuan, a panda given by communist China to democratic Taiwan more than a decade ago as a symbol of improving ties, died Saturday at the Taipei Zoo at the age of 18, officials said.
Published
November 20, 2022
Shares
The U.N.'s chief nuclear watchdog warned Sunday morning that combatants are "playing with fire" amid new reports of shelling near Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which has been occupied by invading Russian troops since March.
Published
November 20, 2022
Shares
World soccer's most powerful figure is handing out red cards to anyone who dares to question FIFA's decision to make Qatar the first Middle Eastern nation to hold the quadrennial World Cup.
Published
November 20, 2022
Shares
Former Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut will be President Biden's new point man on relations with countries of North and South America, the State Department announced Friday.
Published
November 18, 2022
Shares
'May you live in interesting times." The Chinese consider it a curse, but for a memoirist, it's a godsend.
Published
November 15, 2022
Shares
Capping a remarkable political comeback even as he battles personal legal problems, former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is poised to reclaim his old job, as President Isaac Herzog Friday said he will invite him to form the country's next government.
Published
November 11, 2022
Shares
Chess is a game of just a handful of pieces -- king, queen, bishop, knight, rook and pawn -- but an infinite number of characters.
Published
November 8, 2022
Shares
Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared on the verge of a remarkable comeback as exit polls suggested he and his political allies had won enough seats to form a government.
Published
November 1, 2022
Shares
We "work at" our chess a little too much sometimes, and every so often it's useful (and instructional, I might add) to be reminded of the great struggles and amazing moves that got us hooked on the game in the first place.
Published
November 1, 2022
Shares
They took very different paths to get there, but GM Fabiano Caruana and Northern Virginia's own WGM Jennifer Yu both claimed their second national titles at the U.S. Championship and U.S. Women's Championship tournaments that wrapped up last week at the St. Louis Chess Club.
Published
October 25, 2022
Shares
U.S. chess grandmaster Hans Moke Niemann, the target of cheating allegations at the highest level of the game, has made a counter-move against his accusers, filing a $100 million-plus lawsuit accusing world champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway, top U.S. grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura and one of the biggest online chess-playing services of "colluding to blacklist" him from competing.
Published
October 20, 2022
Shares
The shortest prime ministership in Britain's history is leaving the ruling Conservative Party and the country facing a long list of questions.
Published
October 20, 2022
Shares
There's been no shortage of gripping drama so far at the U.S. national and U.S. women's chess championships, now entering the final lap this week at the St. Louis Chess Club.
Published
October 18, 2022
Shares
Officials in Pakistan summoned the U.S. ambassador over the weekend to explain why President Biden considers their country "one of the most dangerous in the world."
Published
October 16, 2022
Shares
Chinese President Xi Jinping kicked off a weeklong Communist Party Congress strongly defending his economic and COVID policies, while vowing to stamp out democratic dissent in Hong Kong and pursue the "reunification" of Taiwan.
Published
October 16, 2022
Shares
British Prime Minister Liz Truss's time at 10 Downing Street may be over before she has time to plan a housewarming party.
Published
October 16, 2022
Shares
New British Prime Minister Liz Truss has sacked her top finance minister just weeks into her new government, the latest policy U-turn for the Conservative leader after markets panned her program of deep, unfunded tax cuts and deregulation.
Published
October 14, 2022
Shares
The U.S. open and women's annual national championship tournaments are now underway at the St. Louis Chess Club and the Hans Moke Niemann cheating controversy remains, unfortunately, the all-consuming storyline.
Published
October 11, 2022
Shares