David R. Sands

China’s Tan Zhongyi wins women’s world chess title in Tehran

Continuing a long string of dominance by China's women, WGM Tan Zhongyi defeated Ukrainian GM Anna Muzychuk in the final match to claim the FIDE women's world chess championship knockout tournament in Tehran Friday. The upset win makes Tan the fifth Chinese woman to hold the women's title since GM Xie Jun ended a long period of Russian and Georgian dominance by taking the title in 1991.

March 3, 2017

High drama leads to comedy of errors in women’s chess title hunt

For chess fans, there is a constant tug-of-war between art and combat. There is real beauty in the flawless conceived plan, the brilliant attack, the airtight winning combination. Then again, a "perfectly played game" by both contestants would produce an unending string of draws.

February 28, 2017

Hans Berliner, the D.C. boy who conquered the (postal) chess world

Before he conquered the world, he ruled the D.C. chess scene. Postal chess great Hans Berliner, who passed away last month in Florida at the age of 87, grew up here and got his start at the fabled Washington Chess Divan.

February 22, 2017

In Joop van Oosterom and Raymond Smullyan, chess loses two colorful characters

In a game played between White and Black, chess lost a couple of colorful characters in recent days.

February 14, 2017

Kevin McCarthy has sick Valentine’s Day burn for colleagues

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy threw a couple of his colleagues under the love bus Tuesday when the chamber's GOP leadership met the press Tuesday morning.

February 14, 2017

Vladimir Putin reportedly eyeing hardliner as next envoy to Donald Trump’s Washington

For all the talk of their budding bromance, Russian President Vladimir Putin is widely reported to be ready to select a well-known military hardliner as his new ambassador to Donald Trump's Washington.

February 7, 2017

Hou Yifan, reigning chess queen: Brilliance, then bravado at Gibraltar

GM Hikaru Nakamura has won the Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival -- one of the world's most prestigious open events -- for a third straight year, but the American star's victory last week was hardly the biggest story of the event.

February 7, 2017

Wesley So pushes unbeaten streak to 56 with Tata Steel chess win

Make room, Byron Nelson. Coming through, UCLA. Scoot over, Joltin' Joe. The list of great sports streaks may have a new entry if rising American superstar GM Wesley So can keep it up.

January 31, 2017

Julio Sadorra, Mark Paragua sail to victory in the chess Chesapeake Open

There was some real Filipino flavor atop the leaderboard at the ninth annual Chesapeake Open this month at the Rockville Hilton.

January 25, 2017

Hillary Clinton gets a pass among the Trump faithful

Their hero's motorcade was just pulling up to the other side of the Capitol, but there was a clear surge of anticipation and electricity among Donald Trump's supporters when rival Hillary Clinton first appeared on the giant television screens.

January 20, 2017

One supporter already revving up the 2020 Trump re-election campaign

Thomas C. Mendenhall, who says he spotted the Trump phenomenon far earlier than most people, now is trying to get the jump on the new president's re-election campaign.

January 20, 2017

From the Informant team, a fine new American chess magazine

In the world of chess publishing, we have a 50-year anniversary and news of an ambitious start-up, and both are an occasion for celebration.

January 18, 2017

Russian foundry mints commemorative ‘In Trump We Trust’ silver coin

Donald Trump's persistent calls for better relations with Russia are already paying off -- literally.

January 18, 2017

Xi vs. Trump: Chinese leader praises globalization, warns of trade wars at tony Davos summit

The forces of free trade, open markets and globalization have a new champion: Chinese President -- and Communist Party chief -- Xi Jinping.

January 17, 2017

Webster dominates but UMBC’s Tanguy Ringoir shines at college chess clash

It's as if Alabama's football team found itself in the college Final Four lining up against Alabama, Alabama and some random fourth entrant.

January 10, 2017

Aleksandr Lenderman outlasts Alex Shabalov for third Eastern chess crown

It was a familiar pair of front-runners entering the home stretch, with past winners GM Aleksandr Lenderman and GM Alex Shabalov pulling away from the field at last week's 42nd annual Eastern Open. In the end, Lenderman collected his third sole first in the event (he was Eastern champ in 2009 and 2010) by drawing his main rival and winning the rest of his games for a 61/2-1/2 winning score.

January 3, 2017

Rapid reverse as Magnus Carlsen tries to defend another chess title

When last we wrote about Magnus Carlsen, he was sacrificing his queen to clinch his world title defense last month over Russian challenger Sergei Karjakin in New York City.

December 28, 2016

Wesley So leads Yank brigade to chess dominance in London

The just-concluded Eighth London Chess Classic featured an elite field of players from around the world, but it was the Americans who provided most of the drama and the fireworks.

December 20, 2016

Greek minister sees progress despite latest debt drama

It was a chain of events which neatly captured the grinding economic crisis that plagues Greece: Just as a light appeared at the end of the tunnel, the train broke down once again.

December 16, 2016

Fighting seniors lead the way into busy holiday chess season

Happens every year — when the rest of the world is going over the meadow and through the snow for a well-earned holiday rest, the chess world is gearing up for perhaps its busiest season.

December 13, 2016