David R. Sands

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

In European chess fight, Daniil Dubov proves a team player, brilliantly

Team chess -- in which the "how many?" matters so much more than the "how?" -- would not seem a fertile format for brilliant play. Risking a precious half-point on a speculative attack or unclear gambit is not exactly taking one for the team.

November 5, 2019

Halloween hallucinations at the chessboard

We write this two days before Halloween, a celebration of disguise, delusion and things unseen that haunt the mind. Chess may be a rigorously logical game, but one also prone to phantasms and hallucinations in the heat of battle.

October 29, 2019

Wang Hao second Chinese grandmaster to join 2020 chess title hunt

There will be at least two Chinese grandmasters in the hunt for the right to challenge world champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway next year.

October 22, 2019

Fifty years ago, it was Boris Spassky’s turn to shine at the chessboard

It didn't enthrall the world like a moon landing, didn't define a generation like Woodstock, didn't stun the experts like the Mets' World Series win. But there was also a compelling world chess championship match during that packed year of 1969, one that is worth celebrating 50 years later.

October 15, 2019

Russian, North Korean media outlets in pact to fight ‘fake news’

President Trump has two new allies in his fight against fake news -- the state-controlled news agencies of Russia and North Korea.

October 9, 2019

Tough battle: Close but no medal for U.S. at NATO chess tilt

It's the greatest fighting force the world has ever seen, dominating on land, sea, air, cyberspace and even outer space. But the U.S. military still can't seem to break through on the most important battlefield of all -- the chessboard.

October 8, 2019

Finns praise president, question Trump after raucous reception

The Finnish press Thursday were giving generally positive reviews for President Sauli Niinisto's stoic but highly meme-worthy performance beside President Trump the day before at a pair of raucous sparring sessions between the U.S. president and the press over impeachment, Democratic perfidy and media corruption.

October 3, 2019