David R. Sands

Playing politics — some of us would rather be playing chess

Most serious players I know would just as soon keep something as important as chess and something as trivial as politics as far apart as possible.

February 4, 2020

Ju Wenjun retains crown, Fabiano Caruana laps field in momentous chess week

It was a momentous week in which one world champion (barely) retained her title and one world championship hopeful made a (bold) statement that he's ready for another run for the crown.

January 29, 2020

A ‘Whatever’ moment fuels Ju Wenjun’s comeback in women’s chess title fight

It may not rate with "Once more unto the breach, dear friends" or "At my signal, unleash hell!" but "Whatever" may just be the rallying cry that saves a world chess championship.

January 21, 2020

Players split the home-field edge in women’s chess title fight

It employs the same 64 squares and 32 pieces everywhere it is played, so you might think there can be no home court advantage in chess.

January 15, 2020

Iraqi militia calls for lone-wolf strikes against U.S. forces

The Iran-allied Iraqi militia group at the center of a military confrontation with the Trump administration said the "door to jihad" has been opened against U.S. forces in the country and called for supporters to carry out Islamic State-style "lone wolf" attacks against American assets across the region.

January 10, 2020

Old Dominion domination at year-end Eastern Open chess tournament

The usual contingent of invading grandmasters and IMs didn't make the trip this time, allowing some local talent to rise to the top at last week's 46th annual Eastern Open, played at the Westin Hotel in Tysons Corner.

January 7, 2020

Trump sparked Iran crisis with sanctions, renouncing nuclear deal

The tangled roots of U.S.-Iranian relations reach back decades but the timeline vastly accelerated after President Trump renounced the Iran nuclear deal in May 2018 and reimposed a string of harsh economic sanctions.

January 6, 2020

Chinese state newspaper raises doubts about U.S. ‘Phase One’ trade deal

An influential state-controlled newspaper said Monday that China should not rush to sign a much-touted Phase One trade deal with the Trump administration, hinting that some key details in the agreement have yet to be nailed down.

January 6, 2020

Soleimani strike puts U.S. mission in Iraq in jeopardy

The U.S. strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani and a leading Iraqi Shiite militia leader has been condemned by officials across the Iraqi political spectrum and could put the future of some 5,000 U.S. troop stationed in Iraq in doubt.

January 3, 2020

Chess: The player of the decade, the combination of the year

He was unquestionably the player of the decade, so it makes sense that world champ Magnus Carlsen finished up 2019 with two more major titles for his bulging trophy room.

December 31, 2019

Big names off the board as 2020 chess title cycle takes shape

It was an early Christmas present for the plummily-named Russian GM Ian Nepomniachtchi (henceforth "Nepo") and a lump of coal for some of the biggest names in the game.

December 24, 2019

Honoring a column and a legacy of African American chess excellence in D.C.

We start with a big personal thank you to D.C.'s venerable Black Knights Chess Team, which earlier this month awarded this column and this columnist a "lifetime achievement award" at its third annual closed championship, citing our coverage over the past quarter-century of the local chess scene and of Washington, D.C., as the nation's primary incubator of black chess excellence.

December 17, 2019

Ding Liren makes a noise with big win in London chess event

Confirming his status as one of the hottest players in the world right now, Chinese super-GM Ding Liren has captured the four-player FIDE Grand Chess Tour tournament in London, besting a field that included Norwegian world champion Magnus Carlsen and French GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.

December 10, 2019

Legendary Nona Gaprindashvili adds to bulging chess trophy case

A storied career just added another chapter as GM Nona Gaprindashvili, the women's world champion from 1961 to 1978 and a five-time Soviet women's champion, captured last month's World Women's 65+ Senior Championship tournament in Bucharest, Romania, for the second year in a row at the ripe young age of 78.

December 3, 2019

With knockout, Alexander Grischuk eyes slot in 2020 chess world title hunt

Veteran Russian GM Alexander Grischuk has put himself in a prime position for another run at the world championship, capturing the 16-player FIDE Grand Prix knockout tournament in Hamburg, Germany, and all but clinching a slot in March's Candidates tournament for the right to challenge Norwegian champion Magnus Carlsen.

November 26, 2019

South Korea at last minute reverses plan to nix intelligence deal with Japan

South Korea announced a temporary truce in its escalating feud with Japan, saying just before the deadline for a decision that it would not cancel a key intelligence-sharing pact between the two U.S. allies.

November 22, 2019

Benjamin Netanyahu indicted for corruption, rocking Israeli political landscape

Israel's attorney general has lodged formal corruption charges against longtime Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, threatening to end the hawkish prime minister's long career at a time of deep political uncertainty in Israel.

November 21, 2019

A proper send-off for Shelby Lyman, an unlikely chess media star

It got a little lost in the shuffle, but we should give a proper send-off to fellow chess columnist and unlikely public television superstar Shelby Lyman, who died in August at the age of 82.

November 19, 2019

Finding Feffernitz — chess as a game and a geography lesson

It's been hailed as a way to teach our youth math, pattern recognition and good sportsmanship, but has anyone ever touted chess as an aid in learning geography?

November 12, 2019

Germany to meet Trump’s NATO funding demand — in 2031

Germany' defense minister acknowledged Thursday that the country will miss a 2024 NATO deadline to devote at least 2% of its GDP to the military, despite heavy criticism from President Trump that European allies are not contributing enough to the common defense.

November 7, 2019