David R. Sands

SANDS: Shark attack: Miami wins first U.S. Chess League title

As the chess world gets used to a new champion, the everyday machinery of tournaments and matches is clanking back to life. New Norwegian world titleholder Magnus Carlsen is promising to be an active and visible champion, but is understandably taking a little personal "me time" after his decisive win last month dethroning India's Viswanathan Anand in Chennai, India.

SANDS: Magnus Carlsen’s future bright as the new king of chess

What next for Magnus the Magnificent? The victory of the young, dynamic Norwegian GM Magnus Carlsen in dethroning world champion Viswanathan Anand in their title match last week has sent an electric thrill through fans of the game worldwide.

Norway’s Magnus Carlsen wins world chess title

Norway's Magnus Carlsen is the new world chess champion, dethroning Indian titleholder Viswanathan Anand with a draw in the 10th game of their scheduled 12-game match in Chennai, India, Friday.

Magnus Carlsen on verge of world chess title with quick win over champion

Norwegian challenger Magnus Carlsen is on the brink of becoming his country's first world chess champion following a stunning 28-move victory over Indian champion Viswanthan Anand Thursday in the ninth game of their scheduled 12-round match in Chennai, India.

SANDS: Carlsen close to chess title as Anand cracks under endgame pressure

The outcome of the world championship match now just past the halfway point in Chennai, India, may have been sealed in Saturday's Game 6 in what rates as a truly multicultural moment: a Norwegian defeating an Indian in a Spanish Game through the use of the Chinese water torture.

Game 8 a draw: Magnus Carlsen moves closer to world chess title

World champion Viswanathan Anand of India and challenger Magnus Carlsen of Norway played to a quiet 33-move draw in their match now underway in Chennai, India, bringing Mr. Carlsen closer to the world title as the match enters its final stages.

Carlsen closes in on world chess title with Game 7 draw

Challenger Magnus Carlsen moved one step closer to becoming Norway's first world chess champion with an easy draw with the Black pieces in Game 7 of his scheduled 12-round title match against Indian world champion Viswanathan Anand in Chennai, India, on Monday.

Carlsen grinds out win for two-game lead in world chess championship

In a first, EPA cuts ethanol standard

In a move likely to anger corn farmers and their congressional representatives, the Obama administration Friday proposed the first-ever cut in the amount of corn-based ethanol and other biofuels that must be mixed into the nation's gasoline, with the Environmental Protection Agency concluding that the mandate set by Congress just six years ago is proving difficult and perhaps impossible for gas producers to meet.

Challenger Carlsen breaks through with first win in chess title match

Norwegian challenger Magnus Carlsen has drawn first blood in the world chess championship match now underway in Chennai, India, defeating world champion Viswanathan Anand of India Friday in the fifth game of their scheduled 12-round match. The previous four games had all ended in draws.

Viswanathan Anand barely holds on for draw in chess championship Game 4

Challenger Magnus Carlsen of Norway came close to a breakthrough in the world chess championship match now underway in Chennai, India, pressing world champion Viswanathan Anand before conceding a draw in the fourth game of the scheduled 12-round title match Tuesday.

Viswanathan Anand vs. Magnus Carlsen: Chess title match tied with draw in Game 3

World champion Viswanathan Anand held the advantage but was not able to score the full point as Game 3 of his title defense against Norwegian challenger Magnus Carlsen ended in a draw Tuesday in Chennai, India.

SANDS: Missed chances as Anand, Carlsen start world chess title match in Chennai, India

Like boxers cautiously feeling out their opponents in the early rounds, world champion Viswanathan Anand of India and Norwegian challenger Magnus Carlsen produced short, tentative draws in the first two games of their scheduled 12-round title match now underway in Chennai, India. But even though no hard punches were landed, the first two games did provide quite a bit of insight for the rounds ahead.

SANDS: Anand-Carlsen chess title match kicks off Saturday in Chennai, India

He has held the world championship for six years, beating off challenges from GMs Vladimir Kramnik, Veselin Topalov and, just two years ago, Boris Gelfand. He has far more match experience and will have the considerable advantage of defending his crown for the fourth time in his hometown of Chennai, India, before a rabid fan base that will be strongly pulling for him.

SANDS: A great chess battle propels Novy Bor’s European Cup win

The European Club Cup, featuring teams (and a few hired guns) put together by clubs across the continent, has long been one of the strongest competitions of its kind.

SANDS: Quick strikes speed Shabalov to win in class chess championship

The vagaries of the Swiss system pairings used in U.S. tournaments often mean that the "critical" games of the event come well before the final round.

SANDS: Glorious imperfection of a titanic prize fight in chess

The cover of my paperback copy of R.N. Coles' "Epic Battles of the Chessboard" has come off and the contents are showing their age as well: The latest game, Matanovich-Rossolimo, dates back to 1951 and the chess moves are in the old English descriptive notation.

SANDS: Low-key chess GM Boris Gelfand enjoying a high-achieving year

Continuing a remarkable late-career surge, Belarus-born Israeli GM Boris Gelfand finished in a tie for first with young Italian GM Fabiano Caruana last week at the sixth and final FIDE Grand Prix tournament held in Paris. The two scored 7-4 in the all-grandmaster field, with Caruana taking home the trophy on the strength of having the better tiebreaks.

SANDS: Title hunt: Krush notches grandmaster norm in strong Baku chess tournament

Kudos to U.S. women's national champion Irina Krush, who earned her first grandmaster norm at the strong recent open tournament in Baku, Azerbaijan.

SANDS: Hou reclaims women’s chess crown in dominating fashion

Chinese WGM Hou Yifan used a dominating performance to reclaim the women's world title from overmatched Ukrainian WGM Anna Ushenina last week.