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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

The Washington Times: A ‘miracle’ that has endured for 30 years

Starting a newspaper "is worth doing, and we make our first public appearance with a heady sense that we can do it. Our confidence rests in part on the zest and skills of the staff we have recruited. Just as importantly, it rests on the need we find expressed all over Washington for a new perspective on local, national and world events."

October 1, 2012

SANDS: Olympian efforts abound on Istanbul’s lower boards

Just as in the five-ring Olympics where athletes compete in track events and on the ski slopes, many of the competitors and countries that show up at the biennial chess Olympiad arrive knowing they have little hope of earning a medal. Men’s and women’s teams from more than 150 countries took part in the recent 40th Olympiad in Istanbul, which once again was dominated by the globe’s long-standing chess powerhouses: Russia, China, Armenia, Ukraine and the U.S.

September 25, 2012
Family members and others who filled the 14,000-seat arena for Rev. Moon’s services raise their arms in the three cheers of EokMansei, a traditional Korean gesture. Church officials estimate some 35,000 people made the trip to Gapyeong. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)

Funeral for Rev. Moon a time of reflection for church

Hak Ja Han Moon, widow of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, told 15,000 Unificationists on Monday that she will "be faithful" to his life and tradition and that the worldwide movement should "march forward without pausing" to build God's ideal world.

September 16, 2012
Mourners leave messages Wednesday for the family of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon at Cheongpyeong Heaven and Earth Training Center near Seoul. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)

Rev. Moon lauded for efforts to reunify Koreas

It's just one floral tribute among hundreds here, but the stand of white paper chrysanthemums draped by a ribbon of Korean characters bears some unique political and diplomatic weight. The wreath expresses the condolences of new young North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for the death of Unification Church founder and spiritual guide the Rev. Sun Myung Moon.

September 13, 2012
Former Zambian Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo is one of thousands gathered in Gapyeong, South Korea, for services for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)

Milingo: Rev. Moon’s legacy is in religious unity

Unification Church founder Rev. Sun Myung Moon's work on behalf of harmony among the world's great faiths will be among his most lasting achievements, Emmanuel Milingo, the onetime Zambian Catholic archbishop defrocked for taking a wife in a ceremony presided over by Rev. Moon in 2001, said in an interview Thursday.

September 13, 2012
Family members of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, including (in white) eldest daughter Ya-Jin stand at left waiting to greet mourners bowing at right after placing flowers on a table below a portrait of the reverend. The family members rotate throughout the day but are present from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. to greet mourners as they come to the Cheongpyeong Heaven and Earth Training Center complex near Seoul, Korea to pay tribute to the late reverand, who founded the Unification Church. The official funeral service will be held this Saturday. This image was made Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)

Unification Church is poised for new era, officials say

The Unification Church is strongly positioned to preserve and expand both its global spiritual outreach and its commercial holdings as tens of thousands of believers gather to say a final goodbye to founder Rev. Sun Myung Moon, two top church officials said this week.

September 12, 2012

SANDS: Armenia edges Russian to claim Olympiad gold in chess

The Little Country That Could did it again as tiny Armenia on Sunday won its third gold medal in the past four years, nipping mighty Russia on tiebreaks after the two chess powerhouses finished 9-1-1 at the 40th biennial Olympiad in Istanbul.

September 11, 2012
Vice President Joseph R. Biden has declared, “General Motors is alive,” but new numbers on the bailout’s cost could be problematic for the administration. (Associated Press)

Democrats’ rhetoric driven by auto bailout

Democrats here clearly think they have a political winner in President Obama's decision to bail out the American auto industry, but numbers on the bailout's cost released this week suggest that the move could pose some political potholes for both presidential campaigns this fall.

September 6, 2012
In this file photo, the skyline of Charlotte, N.C., rises behind the Bank of America Stadium (foreground). The city, which hosted the 2012 Democratic convention, is bidding to be the host city for the 2020 Republican convention. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton) **FILE**

Obama scrubs stadium speech over weather concerns

There will be no replay of Denver 2008 as organizers of the Democratic National Convention announced Wednesday that President Obama's planned outdoor acceptance speech at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., has been moved indoors because of threatening rain in the forecast.

September 5, 2012

SANDS: Young Hua schools his elders on way to chess victory

He’s an excellent student, has played a piano recital at Carnegie Hall and just scored an unexpected triumph in one of Washington’s signature chess tournaments. It will be interesting to see what David Hua will achieve when he’s old enough to drive.

September 4, 2012
** FILE ** Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff Joe Arpaio answers questions May 10 in a news conference. (Associated Press)

Arpaio pulls in $7.5 million for re-election bid

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, seeking re-election to his sixth term as the chief law enforcement officer in Phoenix, has raised more than $7.5 million in campaign contributions, including more than $600,000 over the past two months.

August 22, 2012

SANDS: Hoyos paces the field to capture chess U.S. Open

Mexican national champion Manuel Leon Hoyos can add a major north-of-the-border title to his resume after winning the 113th U.S. Open Sunday in Vancouver, Wash., in a playoff over veteran Illinois GM Dmitry Gurevich and surprising California FM John Daniel Bryant. All three finished at 8-1, with Bryant reeling off five straight wins to close out the tournament and claim a share of first.

August 14, 2012

SANDS: Kamsky captures first Washington International chess tourney

The inaugural Washington International produced a worthy winner as former U.S. national champion Gata Kamsky triumphed over a strong field in the ambitious nine-round open event sponsored by the Maryland Chess Federation. Kamsky, a onetime candidate in the world championship cycle, was undefeated at 7-2 and won $5,000 for his efforts.

August 7, 2012

SANDS: Bodek 1st among equals in U.S. Cadet chess tourney

New Rochelle, N.Y., 10th-grader Michael Bodek claimed bragging rights as a quartet of young stars shared first place in the U.S. Cadet Championship invitational tournament for the nation’s top players younger than 16, an event that returned to the Washington area for the first time in more than a quarter-century.

July 31, 2012

SANDS: Future is bright for U.S. chess as prospects shine

The future is now — right now — for American chess, as New York IM Marc Arnold has claimed his first U.S. Junior title, and the U.S. Cadet Championship, featuring the country’s top players younger than 16 years old, is wrapping up in Rockville.

July 24, 2012