David R. Sands

Raised in Northern Virginia, David R. Sands received an undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and a master's degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He worked as a reporter for several Washington-area business publications before joining The Washington Times.

At The Times, Mr. Sands has covered numerous beats, including international trade, banking, politics and Capitol Hill, and spent eight years on the foreign desk as senior diplomatic correspondent. He is currently the deputy editor for politics. In addition, he has reviewed books and written feature stories for the newspaper and authored The Times' weekly chess column since 1993. He is also senior writer for Washington GolfStyles, a monthly publication covering the Mid-Atlantic golf scene.

Articles by David R. Sands

Iranian Quds Force commander strongly backs Hamas in Israel clash

The commander of Iran's elite military Quds Force is promising strong backing for the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement in its escalating military clash with Israel, Iran's state media reported over the weekend. Published May 16, 2021

U.S. struggles for leverage in escalating Israeli-Palestinian clash

The Biden administration struggled to find its diplomatic footing Sunday in a bid to contain escalating clashes between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, even as other outside players stepped up their efforts to shape the crisis. Published May 16, 2021

Child’s play: Chess title combatants go way back

The story goes that Benjamin Franklin, while negotiating a peace treaty in France in 1783, was in the crowd the day the first manned hot-air balloons soared above Paris. When an unimaginative skeptic in the crowd wondered at the utility of the newfangled invention, Franklin replied, "What good is a newborn baby?" Published May 4, 2021

Ian Nepomniachtchi clinches spot in world chess title match against Magnus Carlsen

To the chagrin of headline writers and Twitter posters everywhere, Russian GM Ian Nepomniachtchi on Monday won the FIDE Candidates Tournament in Yekaterinburg, Russia, with a round to spare, earning the right to challenge Norwegian world champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway in a title match later this year. Published April 27, 2021

Kremlin says Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin will meet this summer

The Kremlin's top spokesman said Monday that President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin are planning for a summit this summer to be held at an undetermined third country, meeting at a time when Moscow's relations with the U.S. and the West have badly deteriorated. Published April 26, 2021

Blinken names experienced diplomat Jeffrey Feltman as envoy for troubled Horn of Africa

Jeffrey Feltman, a career diplomat who served for a time as assistant secretary of state and as the U.N.'s undersecretary-general for political affairs, has been named the State Department's special envoy for the Horn of Africa, where a civil war in Ethiopia has created a destabilizing humanitarian crisis in one of the continent's most strategic areas, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken announced Friday. Published April 23, 2021

Candidates pick up the pieces in disrupted hunt for chess title match

It was the longest halftime break in the history of tournament chess and perhaps all of sports, but Round 8 of the FIDE Candidates Tournament to pick a challenger to world champion Magnus Carlsen finally was played Monday, some 389 days after Round 7 was completed. Published April 20, 2021

U.S. to monitor Afghanistan after troop withdrawal

President Biden has put a date certain on the U.S. military's withdrawal from its 20-year mission in Afghanistan, but that might be the only thing certain about Afghanistan's short- and long-term future. Published April 18, 2021

Saudis, Iranians deny report of first direct talks in years

Saudi and Iranian officials held secret talks in Iraq earlier this month to try to tamp down a raging regional struggle for influence, the Financial Times reported Sunday. Published April 18, 2021

U.S.: Russia could face ‘consequences’ over treatment of jailed dissident Navalny

The Biden administration said Sunday it is weighing possible punishments on Russia amid reports of the deteriorating condition of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who is in the third week of a hunger strike to protest his treatment by the government of President Vladimir Putin. Published April 18, 2021

U.S. will keep tabs on terror threat even after Afghan withdrawal, Sullivan says

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan says President Biden remains on high alert to the threat of global terrorism as U.S. troops prepare to exit Afghanistan by Sept. 11. Published April 18, 2021

Kremlin says U.S. has an ‘obsession’ with sanctions

The Kremlin's top spokesman Friday slammed what he called the U.S. government's "obsession" with imposing sanctions on countries it does not like, but said any retaliation for President Biden's recent moves to punish Russian hacking operations was still being considered by President Vladimir Putin. Published April 16, 2021

Tragedy and redemption at the chessboard

Chess is the ultimate game of second chances, providing fresh opportunities for redemption every time you set up the pieces for a new game. But it's not often you go from bug to windshield as dramatically and quickly as Polish GM Mateusz Bartel did in the space of a couple of days. Published April 13, 2021

Biden, world leaders not on invite list for this year’s Russia Victory Day blowout

Russian President Vladimir Putin has found a direct way to avoid the embarrassment of diplomatic no-shows at the annual May Victory Parade May 9 celebrating the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany: don't send out invitations in the first place. Published April 7, 2021

German club comes up aces in European chess clash

Turns out there's no "I" in "mannschaft," either. That's the German word for "team," and it was a classic bit of teamwork that helped German chess club SF Deizisau to a surprise win in the recent European Club Cup championship, held as a rapid online event this year because of COVID-19 concerns. Published April 6, 2021

No fooling — chessboard oddities in the spirit of April 1

With everything out there on the board for everyone to see, chess doesn't really lend itself to quality April Fool's tomfoolery. Published March 30, 2021

Stuck Suez container ship freed and on the move

The massive container ship that ran aground in the narrow Suez Canal and sparked a massive backup in global shipping has been freed and is on the move, Egyptian officials said Monday morning. Published March 29, 2021

NATO meeting doesn’t ease U.S.-German divide over Russian gas pipeline

At a summit filled with happy talk on the improving state of U.S.-European relations under President Biden, the nearly completed Nord Stream 2 pipeline supplying Russian natural gas directly to Germany remains a transatlantic sticking point. Published March 24, 2021

Eight more years — lawmakers approve bill allowing Putin two more terms as president

Russian voters may have President Vladimir Putin to kick around for eight more years after lawmakers Wednesday made progress on a bill that would allow Mr. Putin to run for two more presidential terms. Published March 24, 2021

Celebrating chess great Vasily Smyslov at 100

The competition isn't particularly stiff, but Vasily Smyslov may have been the most normal person ever to capture the world championship crown in chess. Published March 23, 2021

Threat Status: High stakes of int’l democracy Daniel Twining joins Guy Taylor

ForAmerica: Trump reshaping foreign policy Watch Tim Constantine and David Bozell