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David R. Sands

David R. Sands

dsands@washingtontimes.com

David R. Sands covered numerous beats, including international trade, banking, politics and Capitol Hill, and spent eight years on the foreign desk as senior diplomatic correspondent. He has authored The Times' weekly chess column since 1993.

Articles by David R. Sands

Van Foreest-Grandelius after 20...Nf6.

Jordan Van Foreest, local hero, stuns with win at elite Tata chess tourney

Meet the Dutch Rocky Balboa. When countries agree to host world-class tournaments, chess etiquette holds that at least a slot or two in the field be reserved for favorite sons (or daughters) who otherwise wouldn't make the cut. Typically, the invitees' main role is to generate some patriotic buzz and serve as cannon fodder for the big guns.

February 2, 2021
In this Sept. 24, 2020, file photo, Captain Sir Tom Moore in Marston Moretaine, England, attends the launch event for the Lloyd Scott Three Peaks Challenge. Tom Moore, the 100-year-old World War II veteran who captivated the British public in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic with his fundraising efforts, has died, Tuesday Feb. 2, 2021. (Jacob King/PA via AP, File)

COVID-19 hero ‘Captain Tom’ Moore dies at age 100

Captain Tom Moore, the British World War II veteran whose jaunty walk in his backyard last year made him an internet sensation and a prodigious fundraiser in the fight against COVID-19, has passed away in London's Bedford Hospital at the age of 100, less than two weeks after he himself was diagnosed with the coronavirus.

February 2, 2021
In this Dec. 17, 2019, file photo, Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi speaks during a joint press conference with Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc after their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. Reports says Monday, Feb. 1, 2021, a military coup has taken place in Myanmar and Suu Kyi has been detained under house arrest. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo, File)

Aung San Suu Kyi detained in Myanmar coup: Report

The Myanmar military has reportedly detained Aung San Suu Kyi and other members of her ruling National League for Democracy party in a coup attempt that climaxes rising tension between the military and the civilian government of the former Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

January 31, 2021
Registered Nurse Lisa Strickland, left, administers a COVID-19 vaccine to Tracy Atkinson during the drive-up inoculation event at Craig Houghton Elementary School in Augusta, Ga., Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. (Michael Holahan/The Augusta Chronicle via AP)

COVID-19 vaccines to goose global growth in 2021, IMF predicts

The global economy, devastated in 2020 by shutdowns related to the coronavirus pandemic, is poised to make a major recovery this year as vaccines to control its spread reach the market, the International Monetary Fund said in its latest forecast released Tuesday morning.

January 26, 2021
Police clash with demonstraters during a protest against the jailing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in People gather in St.Petersburg, Russia, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021. Russian police are arresting protesters demanding the release of top Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny at demonstrations in the country's east and larger unsanctioned rallies are expected later Saturday in Moscow and other major cities. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

Russia to Biden: Butt out over protests

The Kremlin reacted angrily Sunday to U.S. criticisms of its handling of nationwide protests against President Vladimir Putin, protests which so far have led to at least 3,500 detentions across the country.

January 24, 2021
Donchenko-Caruana after 26. Qb1.

The best make a welcome return to the chessboard

After a troubled year of cancellations, disruptions and migrations to online play, the chess world is starting 2021 on a refreshing note of normalcy -- an actual over-the-board elite tournament played at classical time controls in one of the great traditional venues for the game.

January 20, 2021
Kupferstich-Andreasen after 34. Nd6.

Zugzwecklos: When you have chess moves, but it doesn’t matter

Beginning chess students are quickly introduced to the remarkable concept of "zugzwang" -- German for "It's your move, pal" -- in which a player's position may be perfectly fine as is, but any move makes things worse, and may even lose. Unfortunately under the rules, passing is not allowed when it's your clock that is ticking.

January 12, 2021
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holds a press conference at Rideau Cottage during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ottawa on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP) ** FILE **

Canada’s Justin Trudeau calls out Donald Trump over U.S. Capitol clash

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dropped the diplomatic niceties Friday and said President Trump and his supporters were directly responsible for the clashes in the halls of the U.S. Capitol this week attempting to block the ratification of the 2020 U.S. presidential vote.

January 8, 2021
Dubov-Carlsen after 20. Nc6-e5.

Daniil Dubov’s games rank as must-see chess

He didn't win the tournament, but Russian GM Daniil Dubov's performance at the just-concluded Airthings Masters online tournament may have cemented his reputation as the one grandmaster whose games are must-watch viewing.

January 5, 2021
In this Jan. 8, 2020, file photo, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right and Russia's President Vladimir Putin, left, talk during a ceremony in Istanbul for the inauguration of the TurkStream pipeline. A summit meeting between the Turkish and Russian leaders scheduled for Thursday, March 5, 2020, may be the last chance to work out a deal that avoids a calamity in Syria's northwest. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis, File)

TurkStream, Russia pipeline bypassing Ukraine, advances

A major new Russian pipeline designed to bypass Ukraine to supply southeastern Europe got a major symbolic boost on New Year's Day as Serbian President Alexandar Vucic officially proclaimed the first nearly 250 miles of the Balkan Stream natural gas pipeline to be open for business.

January 1, 2021
Yip-Cervantes Landeiro after 26...Rfd8.

Rising U.S. chess stars bring home the hardware at world junior tourney

There are still a couple of days left to turn things around, but the consensus seems to be building that 2020 will not go down as a banner year. Chess was not exactly spared: tournaments big and little scrubbed for the first in decades, top players -- including both the U.S. and U.S. women's national champs this year -- surviving nasty brushes with COVID-19.

December 29, 2020