David R. Sands

Trump comments may help Chinese exec go free: Canadian ambassador

Comments by President Trump may bolster a top Chinese executive's case fighting extradition from Canada to the U.S. for suspected illegal trading with Iran, Canada's ambassador to China said Wednesday.

January 23, 2019

An internet-assisted tribute to Eliot Hearst, a fine American chess player

From drunk tweeting to Tide-pod-eating, the internet is proving to be perhaps the greatest enabler of human stupidity since the invention of alcohol.

January 22, 2019

Mike Pompeo meets with top North Korean diplomat amid talk of second Trump-Kim summit

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is meeting with a top adviser to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at a Washington hotel Friday morning, amid speculation that the meeting will be a precursor to a second summit between President Trump and Mr. Kim.

January 18, 2019

For best results, avoid the brilliancy in chess

Warning: Brilliant play does not always guarantee brilliant results. It's a curious phenomenon that very often the player who captures the traditional brilliancy prize for the best-played game of the tournament doesn't go on to win the tournament itself.

January 15, 2019

Eliot Engel, House Foreign Affairs chairman, blasts Mike Pompeo over Mideast speech

The new Democratic chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee has sharply criticized Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's wide-ranging speech on Middle East policy in Cairo this week, saying Mr. Pompeo was airing a partisan fight with the Obama administration in front of a foreign audience.

January 11, 2019

Chess players show skills shooting the rapids

Slower than fast and faster than slow, rapid chess has rapidly cemented its place in the competitive structure of the game. Once known as "active" chess, rapid chess -- with time controls ranging from 10 minutes to an hour per game -- has found the sweet spot between the sometimes plodding classical time controls and the often random quality of blitz.

January 8, 2019

Latin neighbors press Venezuela’s Maduro to stand down

A group of a dozen Latin American nations, with the support of the Trump administration, are calling on Venezuela's socialist President Nicolas Maduro to cancel next week's planned inauguration for a new term in office and to give up power until new, fairer elections can be organized.

January 4, 2019

Indians outraged, mystified by Trump’s Afghan library taunt

It was just a throwaway riff in President Trump's lengthy Cabinet monologue, but it rated as front-page news across India Thursday.

January 3, 2019

Paul Whelan, American held in Russia, officially charged with spying: Report

A former U.S. Marine detained on a visit to Moscow a week ago has been formally indicted on espionage charges, the Russian Interfax news service reported Thursday.

January 3, 2019

Alex Lenderman takes Eastern Open; Webster University rules Pan-Ams

Playing with the lead for the entire tournament, New York GM Alex Lenderman claimed his fourth title -- and his second in the past three years -- at the 45th annual Eastern Open, the D.C. area's traditional holiday week chess blowout that ended Sunday evening.

December 31, 2018

Leinier Dominguez switches chess allegiance to U.S. from Cuba

Chess Grandmaster Leinier Dominguez, Cuba's strongest player and one of the top 20 ranked players in the world, is switching affiliations and now will play for the United States, officials at the U.S. Chess Federation announced Wednesday.

December 19, 2018

Future is bright for chess in India with its rising young stars

If children are, indeed, the future, then the future is very bright for Indian chess.

December 18, 2018

Chess world kept busy during Carlsen-Caruana clash

The chess world -- and this column -- have been understandably consumed for the past month with the drama in London, where American challenger Fabiano Caruana came up just short in his world title fight with Norwegian champ Magnus Carlsen, losing the rapid playoff after their 6-6 standoff (all draws) in the classical portion of the match.

December 11, 2018

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Merkel ally, wins fight to head CDU in Germany

A key ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel has won the hotly contested battle to head the center-right Christian Democratic Union, narrowly defeating a rival who pledged to take the party in a more pronounced conservative direction.

December 7, 2018

China state press reacts furiously to arrest of top Huawei exec on U.S. order

China's state-controlled press is reacting with undisguised fury to the arrest of a top officer of telecom giant Huawei Technologies Co. in Vancouver, Canada, detained reportedly at the request of the Trump administration over suspected illegal trading with Iran.

December 6, 2018

Fabiano Caruana doomed in chess title fight by drawn-out duel, rapid downfall

He fought the champ to a draw -- literally and figuratively -- in their grueling 12-round, three-week title match, but American challenger Fabiano Caruana -- literally and figuratively -- saw his chances rapidly fall apart in extra time in his bid to dethrone Norwegian champion Magnus Carlsen.

December 4, 2018

Carlsen holds off U.S. challenger Caruana to retain world chess crown

Norwegian world chess champion Magnus Carlsen has retained his crown, decisively defeating St. Louis Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana in a rapid playoff Wednesday in London after their 12-game title match this month failed to produce a decisive result.

November 28, 2018

Mike Pompeo warns Senate that Yemen vote could harm U.S. security, boost Iran

A congressional push to limit U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen would do "immense damage" to U.S. interests in the region, leave Iran in a stronger position, and do nothing to alleviate the humanitarian crisis generated by the war, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is warning lawmakers Wednesday.

November 28, 2018

Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana face playoff after a dozen draws in world chess title fight

In a baffling end to a less-than-stellar match, world champion Magnus Carlsen offered a draw in a superior position to American challenger Fabiano Caruana on Monday, marking the 12th and final consecutive draw in their title match and setting up a rapid chess playoff for the crown Wednesday in London.

November 27, 2018

One more Magnus Carlsen-Fabiano Caruana draw sends tied chess title match to rapid playoff

In a baffling end to a less-than-stellar match, world champion Magnus Carlsen offered a draw in a clearly superior position to American challenger Fabiano Caruana Monday, marking the 12th and final consecutive draw in their title match and setting up a rapid chess playoff for the crown Wednesday.

November 26, 2018