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David R. Sands

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

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

TWIC at 25: How Mark Crowther’s brainchild changed the world of chess

This column kicked off on Sept. 18, 1993. Some 364 days later, it got a lot easier to write.

October 1, 2019

U.S. chess future looks bright as Jeffery Xiong, Ray Robson shine

The kids are gonna be all right. It may not be fully appreciated, but we are living in a golden age for the U.S. game, with a breadth and depth of chess talent that can stand with any era of the past 150 years.

September 24, 2019

Three Americans still in the hunt at FIDE World Cup chess knockout fight

The field has been winnowed, and three of the six Americans have already been sent home at the 128-player FIDE World Cup knockout tournament, now entering the third round of matches in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia.

September 17, 2019

Vladimir Belous shines, Joshua Altman soars at 51st Atlantic Open chess clash

Russian GM Vladimir Belous captured last month's 51st annual Atlantic Open, the D.C. region's traditional late-summer chess blowout, but D.C. expert Joshua Altman stole the show.

September 10, 2019

Pal Benko lived a full life at the chessboard — and away from it

The blessing/curse -- "May you live in interesting times" -- just may have been conceived with Pal Benko in mind. The storied Hungarian American grandmaster and problemist, who died last week at the age of 91, lived such a full life at and away from the chessboard that one column cannot begin to do justice to his ordeals and achievements.

September 3, 2019