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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

Vachief-Lagrave — Nepomniachtchi after 42...Re6.

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave captures strong Sinquefield Cup in chess

VL was the MVP in St. Louis. With the best result of his career, French GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave topped a world-class field to win the 5th Sinquefield Cup, with an undefeated score of 6-3 at the St. Louis Chess Club and Scholastic Center.

August 15, 2017
Balakrishnan-Tiglon after 31...Re6.

Virginia puts on a show as Alex Lenderman takes U.S. Open Chess Championship

The first U.S. Open to be held in Virginia in 20 years proved a well-run affair that produced a worthy chess champion. With wins in the last two rounds over 2016 Open champ GM Alex Shabalov and rising Texas junior star GM Li Ruifeng over the weekend, New York GM Alex Lenderman captured his third Open title (he was co-champ in 2009 and outright winner six years ago in Orlando) with an undefeated 8-1 score at the Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel.

August 9, 2017
Xiong-Chopra after 27...Qxb2.

Millennial meltdown: Young U.S. chess stars suffer beatdown

They won't be "liking" this on Facebook or boasting about it on Snapchat. We'll keep the fuddy-duddy jokes to a minimum, but there could be some real soul-searching after the disappointing performance of a team of top young American stars at the just-completed "Match of the Millennials" at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis.

August 1, 2017
Congolese President Joseph Kabila took the oath of office for a second five-year term in 2011. He was supposed to step aside when his second full term ended in December, but elections have been put on hold because of political squabbling and another outbreak of violence. (Associated Press/File)

Raymond Tshibanda, Congo envoy, sees election hurdles

Congolese President Joseph Kabila wants to organize overdue elections to pick a successor by the end of the year, but outsiders should not underestimate the logistical hurdles the country faces in trying to secure a fair vote, a top adviser to Mr. Kabila said in an interview.

July 9, 2017
Yanosky-Dulanto after 21...Rg8.

Daniel Yanofsky was a pioneer for chess in Canada

Happy Independence Day -- Canada! As America marked its 241st birthday Tuesday, our neighbors to the north are celebrated a much bigger milestone. It was the sesquicentennial of the founding of Canada, marking that memorable day on July 1, 1867, when (um, according to Wikipedia) the British Parliament voted to sweep the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario into the newly formed Dominion of Canada.

July 6, 2017
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un watches the launch of the Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile. (Associated Press) ** FILE**

North Korea’s ICBM threatens Alaska, East Asia power balance

It was a Fourth of July firework that President Trump once vowed would never get off the ground, but the intercontinental Hwasong-14 missile launched Tuesday by North Korea has the potential to alter permanently the balance of power in East Asia.

July 4, 2017
Romanishin-Molenda after 17...Bb7.

A modern take on the ancient art of king-hunting in chess

"To me, the term 'king hunt' invariably conjures up an image of a bygone era, when chess was played over coffee and cigars at the Cafe de la Regence," U.S. GM Daniel Naroditsky wrote on chess.com. Modern chess, by contrast, "is all about gritty defense and precise calculation, and such lopsided displays of attacking mastery are exceedingly rare."

June 27, 2017