David R. Sands

Elshan Moradiabadi tops global chess field to capture International

An Iranian-born grandmaster, by way of Texas, thriving in suburban Maryland -- was a highly appropriate winner of the fifth annual Washington International Tournament last week.

August 23, 2016

Germans fear more terror attacks over Angela Merkel’s immigration open-door policy: poll

GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump calls it an unmitigated disaster for Germany, but Germans themselves are more evenly divided over Chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door policy for migrants seeking to enter the country from Syria, Afghanistan and other world crisis spots.

August 22, 2016

China, Russia to hold South China Sea ‘drills’ next month

Amid rising tensions with the Obama administration and its neighbors across East Asia, China will hold a week of naval drills with Russia in the South China Sea next month, the two countries said Monday.

August 22, 2016

Evan Mawarire, #ThisFlag movement leader, challenges Robert Mugabe’s reign in Zimbabwe

The national flag draped around his shoulders, Zimbabwe's most unlikely dissident said Wednesday that his popular protest movement has already triumphed over the government of authoritarian President Robert Mugabe and outlined plans to turn up the heat against the government in the run-up to elections in 2018.

August 17, 2016

Rising U.S. chess star captures high-powered Sinquefield Cup

It wasn't the biggest payday of his career, but it was easily his biggest win. U.S. GM Wesley So scored his first clear win in a superelite event, taking home the top prize and $75,000 at the 4th Sinquefield Cup tournament at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis.

August 16, 2016

Woodrow Wilson Center, D.C. think tank, rejects charges of helping spur Turkish coup

The Woodrow Wilson Center, one of Washington's best-known think tanks, is defending itself against charges that it played a role in the failed military coup against the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last month.

August 9, 2016

Alex Shabalov, Gil Popilski top the chess field at 117th U.S. Open

It was a popular -- and familiar -- figure atop the final wall chart at the 117th annual U.S. Open, which wrapped up Sunday in Indianapolis.

August 9, 2016

GOP foreign policy experts call Trump unfit to lead

More than four dozen members of the Republican foreign policy establishment, including the former heads of the CIA, World Bank and Department of Homeland Security, have put their names to an open letter saying GOP nominee Donald Trump is unfit and unqualified to serve as president and commander in chief.

August 8, 2016

Xiong leads summer youth movement with U.S. junior win

School's out and the kids are playing -- at the board.

August 1, 2016

Donald Trump winning Ohio depends on wooing blue-collar voters

The Republicans "definitely made a smart decision" to come to his home state to hold their convention, Nick Mitulinski figures, taking a break from fixing a balky hotel air conditioning compressor in this Cleveland suburb.

July 24, 2016

As the GOP parties, the markets set new records

While the political world here obsesses over Melania-gate and Wednesday night's Cruz-ifixion, the money world is having a much better week.

July 21, 2016

Matt Schlapp, ACU president: Trump won’t be easy target for Hillary Clinton, DNC

Donald Trump's unconventional convention here will present a difficult target for rival Hillary Clinton and the Democrats when they meet next week in Philadelphia, American Conservative Union President Matt Schlapp said in an interview Wednesday.

July 21, 2016

With breakthrough chess win, Hikaru Nakamura ends the Magnus Carlsen jinx

It may not be 100 percent politically correct these days, but one of my old chess books talked about certain players having "hung an Indian sign on" -- established an overwhelming dominance over -- a rival.

July 20, 2016

Donald Trump pick of Mike Pence eases GOP attorneys general worries

The Republican state attorneys general who have scored some of the biggest legal victories rolling back President Obama's regulatory policies and executive orders said Tuesday they think they will have an ally in the White House if Donald Trump is elected in November.

July 19, 2016

Casino next door to GOP convention struggles to attract bettors

Another casino linked to Donald Trump is struggling for business.

July 19, 2016

Donald Trump financial agenda: Would reinstate Glass-Steagall Act, repeal Dodd-Frank

Smoot and Hawley are back in and Glass and Steagall may be next in line for rehabilitation, if Donald Trump carries out the financial agenda in the platform approved by the Republican delegates here Monday.

July 18, 2016

Democrats dump on Sheriff David Clarke, one of their own at Donald Trump’s convention

The Cleveland lineup does feature at least one registered Democrat: David Clarke, the Milwaukee County sheriff who has emerged as a critic of the Black Lives Matter movement.

July 18, 2016

Donald Trump the Obscure — advisers see a Cleveland coming-out party

The problem, as Republican strategists see it here, is that too few people know who Donald Trump is.

July 18, 2016

A wide world of chess winners dominates World Open

At the 44th World Open, the world came to play. The seven players who topped the massive traditional July Fourth open tournament in Philadelphia represented a veritable United Nations of grandmasters, hailing from Hungary, Moldova, Georgia (the country), Israel, Russia, Azerbaijan and Ukraine, all finishing at 7-2.

July 12, 2016

Russia, China react angrily as U.S. to put anti-missile THAAD system in South Korea

China and Russia both issued angry responses to the news Friday that the Obama administration has reached an agreement with South Korea to install a highly advanced missile defense system based in its East Asian ally.

July 8, 2016