David R. Sands
Articles by David R. Sands
In about-face, Biden to give Ukraine long-sought long-range missiles for war
President Biden will permit Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied long-range missiles to strike deeper inside Russia, according to multiple media reports, lifting a longstanding ban put in place for fear it could provoke the Kremlin to respond. Published November 17, 2024
Biden, China’s Xi to meet Saturday on sidelines of Pacific summit, White House says
President Biden and China's President Xi Jinping will meet on the sidelines of a summit of Pacific Rim nations Saturday in Lima, Peru, the White House announced Wednesday, likely one of the last meetings Mr. Biden will have with another top world leader before giving way to President-elect Donald Trump in January. Published November 13, 2024
Pachman at 100: Czech writer’s impact on chess still being felt
The debate over the principles of sound chess play has been an enjoyable conversation that's been going on for centuries. A civilized and essential voice in the debate was Czech-German GM and author Ludek Pachman, born 100 years ago this year. Published November 12, 2024
Greece dominates, U.S. leaves it all on the battlefield at NATO Chess Championship
Our defense budget may be second to none, but when it comes to chess, the U.S. still lacks the firepower of some of our closest NATO allies. The 34th NATO Chess Championship, one of our favorite annual events, concluded last month on the island of Rhodes, with the Greek hosts taking home the title they first won in 2022. Published November 5, 2024
Class acts: Caruana, Yip defend chess titles at U.S. national championships
U.S. national champion GM Fabiano Caruana and U.S. women's national titleholder IM Carissa Yip successfully defended their crowns at the national championship tournaments that ended last week at the Chess Club of St. Louis. It was the fourth open American title belt for Caruana, the country's highest-rated player, and the third for Yip. Published October 29, 2024
North Korean troops already deploying to the war zone to aid Russia, Ukraine says
North Korean troops deployed to Russia have already been spotted on the battlefields of the Ukraine-Russia war, the Ukrainian defense intelligence service said Thursday. Published October 24, 2024
Judge orders Army to release records on Trump Arlington National Cemetery visit by end of week
A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Army to release its internal records on former President Donald Trump's August visit to Arlington National Cemetery by the end of the week. Published October 22, 2024
Yoo’s outburst casts a shadow over U.S. chess title tourney
In an incident that generated national headlines, 17-year-old GM Christopher Yoo, upset over a painful Round 5 loss to top-seeded GM Fabiano Caruana at the ongoing U.S. Championship Tournament in St. Louis, ripped up his scorecard, abruptly left the board and -- worst of all -- struck a female videographer from behind as he left the tournament hall. The U.S. Chess Federation, rightly, immediately disqualified the young California GM, and his games -- including the loss to Caruana -- will not count toward the final scores. Published October 22, 2024
After Hamas leader’s death, Israel faces key decision on Gaza campaign
The death of Yahya Sinwar, the head of Hamas and the architect of the Palestinian militant group's Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist rampage across southern Israel, raised fresh questions about which direction the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would take after the security triumph. Published October 17, 2024
Israel confirms death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza clash
Yahya Sinwar, the head of Hamas and the architect of the Palestinian militant group's Oct. 7, 2023, brutal rampage across southern Israel, has been killed in a raid in the Gaza Strip, Israel said Thursday. Published October 17, 2024
Fischer’s ‘prize’ once again goes unclaimed at U.S. national chess title fight
When it comes to prizes, Alfred Nobel has nothing on Bobby Fischer. Sure, you have to end a war or cure a disease or solve some esoteric problem in particle physics, but it's a sure bet that every year at least six people -- often more -- will get some face-time with the king of Sweden for winning a Nobel. By contrast, the lucrative bonus that comes with matching Bobby's epic 11-0 sweep in the 1963-64 U.S. national championship has been offered every year since 2009 and not a single player has come close to claiming the Fischer Prize. Published October 15, 2024
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te vows to resist Chinese threats to sovereignty in national address
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said Thursday that his government would resist any attempt at forced annexation, in a closely-watched National Day address to the nation that brought an immediate -- and furious -- reaction from China. Published October 10, 2024
Low-profile Stanley, Levitina secure their places in chess Halls of Fame
The U.S. Chess Hall of Fame and the World Chess Hall of Fame are inducting the 2024 class of honorees this month, featuring a roster of some of the game's best-known stars of yesteryear -- and a couple of worthy but less prominent names. Published October 8, 2024
On attack’s anniversary, Israel takes the fight to its foes
Oct. 7, 2023, ranks as the bleakest day in modern Israeli history, when a massive Hamas surprise attack killed more than 1,200 civilians, captured hundreds of hostages and humiliated the country's vaunted intelligence and military services. But a year later, it's a very different picture. Published October 6, 2024
Hundreds of teams and thousands of storylines at 45th Chess Olympiad
With some 357 open and women's teams and more than 7,700 games played, let's just concede right at the top that it's impossible to keep up with even a fraction of the storylines from the recent 45th Chess Olympiad hosted by Budapest, which drew the largest turnout in the event's history. Published October 1, 2024
Power shift: Indian teams sweep the golds at 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest
At the Paris Olympics this summer, Indian athletes went home with zero gold medals. The country's chess players more than made up for it at the just-completed 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest, with both the open and women's teams taking home the gold. Published September 24, 2024
Russia taunts debate candidates, while others hold back on Trump-Harris clash
Foreign policy and Russia's war in Ukraine took up a sizable chunk of Tuesday night's 90-minute debate between Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and her Republican rival, former President Donald Trump. Published September 11, 2024
Grudge match: Carlsen ousts Niemann on way to fourth speed chess title
Former world champ Magnus Carlsen reclaimed a crown and settled a score on his way to winning his fourth world Speed Chess Championship over an elite field in Paris last week. Published September 10, 2024
CIA Director Burns says U.S., West shouldn’t be intimidated by Kremlin’s nuclear threats in Ukraine
The U.S. and its allies should not be "unnecessarily intimidated" by Russian threats to unleash its nuclear arsenal as Ukraine presses for more offensive weaponry to turn back a Russian invading force, CIA Director William Burns said this weekend. Published September 8, 2024
Analyze this: Chess rational and irrational
It's a dirty little secret we're not supposed to discuss, but the games you tend to see in instruction books, brilliancy anthologies and (ahem) newspaper columns don't always accurately reflect chess as it is actually played by the vast majority of us. Like a TV sitcom that wraps up a major life crisis in 22 tidy minutes, your typical chess annotator is looking for games with an intelligible opening, a logical development, a satisfying denouement and (at most) one improbable change of fortune. Published September 3, 2024
