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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

SANDS: Carlsen sets the pace in candidates chess tournament

World No. 1 GM Magnus Carlsen of Norway is the leader at the half-post in the FIDE Candidates Tournament now under way in London. Co-leader Levon Aronian suffered his first loss of the event in Monday's Round 9 against Israel GM Boris Gelfand, leaving Carlsen alone in first by a half-point in the double round-robin event.

March 26, 2013

SANDS: Aronian grabs the early lead in London challenger chess tourney

With wins over Israeli Boris Gelfand and Ukraine’s Vassily Ivanchuk in successive rounds, world No. 3 Levon Aronian is the early leader in the FIDE candidates’ tournament that kicked off Friday in London. Aronian held a half-point lead over top-seeded Magnus Carlsen of Norway and Russian GM Peter Svidler, both at 2-1, going into Monday’s first rest day.

March 19, 2013

SANDS: Brilliant win, brilliant loss a round apart at chess championship

Chinese WGM Ju Wenjun starred in both roles — in consecutive rounds — at the FIDE Women’s World Teams Championship now wrapping up in Astana, Kazakhstan. The event has attracted the 10 strongest female squads in the world for a round-robin championship. Big losses to the Chinese and Georgians have left the American women on the outside looking in, although they did bounce back Sunday with a 2½-1½ upset of the powerful Russian women’s team.

March 12, 2013

SANDS: Old-fashioned pleasures of a rattling good chess attack

Shelves of books — and reams of columns — have been written on the importance of positional play, the variety of pawn structures, the art of the endgame and the subtleties of the 16...a6 line of the Nimzo-Peloponnesian Benko Gambit Reversed. But in their heart of hearts, even the most sophisticated players would prefer to execute a rattling good attack leading to neat checkmate.

February 12, 2013
**FILE** A sign marks Wall Street in New York. (Associated Press)

Wall Street greets jobless increase with new rally

U.S. stock markets shrugged off an uptick in the national employment rate, with the Dow Jones Industrial Index crossing the 14,000 mark for the first time since 2007 in early trading Friday. The Dow fell back below that benchmark later in the morning, but was still up more than 100 points, or nearly 1 percent.

February 1, 2013

SANDS: Carlsen steamrolls elite chess field in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands

Not since the days of Thor has a Norwegian wielded such a mighty hammer. Obliterating a world-class field, Norway superstar GM Magnus Carlsen has taken the first major tournament of the year, winning the elite Tata Steel “A” Tournament with a stunning 10-3 score, matching the record total for the event set by former world champion and onetime Carlsen coach Garry Kasparov.

January 29, 2013

SANDS: Wijk aan Zee presents Dutch bounty of chess action

Like one of those busy Pieter Bruegel peasant harvest paintings that seem to be breaking out of the frame, the annual blowout Tata Steel Tournament at the Dutch coastal city of Wijk aan Zee features an almost overflowing bounty of chess. There's a huge nine-round Swiss event for amateurs, a seven-round rapid tournament and, of course, three -- count 'em, three -- 14-player invitational round-robin tournaments in which the weakest "C" tournament boasts six grandmasters and an average rating of over 2460.

January 22, 2013

SANDS: Tradition chess towns host strong events

The first great tournament of the new year kicked off Saturday with the 75th Tata Steel Tournament in the fabled Dutch chess town of Wijk aan Zee, with an all-star field in the premiere event capped by world No. 1 seed Magnus Carlsen of Norway, Armenian star Levon Aronian and U.S. champion Hikaru Nakamura.

January 14, 2013
** FILE ** In this 2011 file photo, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam (left) voiced his support for President Obama's education reform proposal, which frees states from the "failing" schools designation and other mandates of the Bush-era No Child Left Behind law. (Associated Press)

Tennessee chamber sets quota on bills for members

Taking the concept of limited government to the next level, the Republican-controlled Tennessee House of Representatives this week passed a rule capping the number of bills a member can introduce each year at 15.

January 12, 2013
A Hostess Twinkies sign identifies the Hostess plant in Ogden, Utah. (Associated Press)

Deal saves Wonder Bread; Twinkies still in limbo

Bankrupt bakery giant Hostess Brands Inc. has announced a tentative agreement to sell its Wonder Bread brand to archrival Flower Foods Inc., maker of Tastykakes, while it continues to seek a buyer for its iconic snack line of Twinkies, Devil Dogs and Ho Hos, among others.

January 12, 2013
** FILE ** In this July 10, 2010, file photo, Lance Armstrong throws out his water bottle in the last kilometers of the climb toward Station les Rousses, France, during the seventh stage of the Tour de France cycling race. The New York Times reported Friday, Jan. 4, 2013, that Armstrong, who has strongly denied the doping charges that led to him being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles, has told associates he is considering admitting to the use of performance-enhancing drugs. (AP Photo/Bas Czerwinski, File)

Report: Armstrong to confess doping to Oprah

Disgraced cycling star Lance Armstrong is poised to admit he took performance-enhancing drugs during a career that included seven Tour de France victories, according to a published report.

January 12, 2013
(Courtesy of Lucasfilm)

Obama: Sorry, no Death Star for you

While conceding its potential contributions to job creation and defense against intergalactic threats, the Obama administration officially announced this week that a U.S. Death Star "is not on the horizon."

January 12, 2013
Afghan President Hamid Karzai takes questions from reporters during his joint news conference with President Obama in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Jan. 11, 2013. (Associated Press)

Obama: Time to come home from Afghanistan

A day after meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the White House, President Obama used his weekly radio address to highlight the progress made in the fight against terrorists there and make the case it is time for the U.S. involvement to end.

January 12, 2013
** FILE ** Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer shows her gratitude to supporters Tuesday night, Nov. 6, 2012, in Lincoln, Neb. Mrs. Fischer’s win in the deep red state returns the U.S. Senate seat to the Republican column following the retirement of Democrat Ben Nelson. (Associated Press)

GOP’s Fischer takes tough line on debt hike

Count freshman Sen. Deb Fischer as one more Republican lawmaker determined to use the looming deadline to raise the federal borrowing limit to force through major cuts in government spending.

January 12, 2013