David R. Sands
Articles by David R. Sands
Fabiano Caruana just misses win against champ in world chess title fight
American challenger Fabiano Caruana pressed hard but came up just short as his title match with world chess champion Magnus Carlsen as Norway saw its sixth draw in the first six games Friday in London. Published November 16, 2018
Novel opening produces another draw in Carlsen-Caruana world chess match
Game 5 of the chess world championship match in London between titleholder Magnus Carlsen of Norway and American challenger Fabiano Caruana took a highly offbeat path in the opening, but the result was yet another draw in a 12-game match that has yet to produce a decisive result. Published November 15, 2018
Taut battles but no breakthroughs as Carlsen-Caruana title match kicks off
Three games, three draws in the scheduled 12-game world championship match in London between champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway and American challenger Fabiano Caruana, but it hasn't exactly been dull as the two prepare for Tuesday's Game 4. Published November 13, 2018
Third draw in world chess title match as Magnus Carlsen presses Fabiano Caruana again
It's three draws in three games to open the world chess championship title match in London, as world champ Magnus Carlsen of Norway pressed once again with the Black pieces Monday but could not break through against American challenger Fabiano Caruana. Published November 12, 2018
Amnesty International strips Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi of award
The human rights groups Amnesty International announced Monday it was rescinding its highest honor given a decade ago to Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, citing her role in the government's pressure campaign against hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslim residents. Published November 12, 2018
U.S. challenger Caruana saves draw in epic first game of chess title match
World chess champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway pressed hard but could not crack the defenses of American challenger Fabiano Caruana, agreeing to a draw after a hard-fought 115 moves in the first game of their scheduled 12-game title match in London Friday. Published November 9, 2018
Pompeo abruptly cancels meeting with North Korean diplomat over nukes
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has postponed without explanation a planned meeting with a top North Korean official in New York Thursday meant to pump new momentum into talks over Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal. Published November 7, 2018
James Carville: Democratic wave ‘dissipating’
Longtime Democratic strategist James Carville said early results from Tuesday's midterm elections suggest the vaunted blue Democratic wave is not materializing. Published November 6, 2018
Chess title match offers window on the state of the game
One can always hope, but don't look for nail-biting, scintillating chess when world champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway and American challenger Fabiano Caruana sit down Nov. 9 for the first game of their 12-game match in London. Published November 6, 2018
Knute Buehler seeks to model Oregon campaign after blue state Republican governors
The vaunted blue wave is doing no favors for perhaps the nation's bluest governor this election cycle, as Oregon Democratic Gov. Kate Brown faces an unexpectedly persistent challenge from Republican state legislator Knute Buehler as she seeks her first full term in office in Tuesday's vote. Published November 1, 2018
Libertarian drops out, backs Tester’s opponent in tight Montana Senate race
A Libertarian Party candidate who threatened to be a spoiler in Montana's razor-close Senate race has pulled out of the race and endorsed Republican challenger Matt Rosendale over embattled Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Tester. Published October 31, 2018
U.S. great hope Fabiano Caruana preps for clash with Magnus Carlsen
GM Fabiano Caruana has a chance to match another phenom out of Brooklyn, Bobby Fischer, as he prepares to take on world champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway in a 12-game title match in London. Published October 30, 2018
Saudi crown prince breaks silence, condemns ‘heinous’ killing of Khashoggi
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman broke a long silence on the suspected murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the hands of Saudi government agents, denouncing what he called a "heinous crime" but saying nothing of whether he had any role in or knowledge of the plot. Published October 24, 2018
Operatic struggle offers chess on a grand scale
Even chess columnists have their biases. Oh, we try to be rigorously objective, favoring neither Black nor White, but we have a clear preference for a certain kind of game -- the flashy, shortish blowout, the stunning sacrifice, the combination that ends in a satisfying (and easily analyzable) checkmate. Published October 23, 2018
Russia sticking with Saudis amid boycotts over Khashoggi murder
Russia is one country that is not letting the international furor over the fate of dissident Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi disrupt its ties with the oil-rich kingdom. Published October 23, 2018
Jon Tester-Donald Trump feud over Ronny Jackson simmers in Montana rally
President Trump rekindled a simmering feud with Sen. Jon Tester, traveling to the senator's home state of Montana yet again Thursday evening to denounce the two-term Democrat's role in blocking his choice to head the Veterans Administration earlier this year. Published October 18, 2018
Jon Tester-Matt Rosendale Montana Senate race highlights Trump anger over Ronny Jackson
A messy, partisan Senate confirmation fight may play the deciding role in Montana's too-close-to-call U.S. Senate race, but it may not be the fight that first comes to mind. Published October 17, 2018
IMF’s Christine Lagarde latest to cancel on Saudi conference amid Khashoggi furor
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde is the latest high-profile figure in the financial world to scrub a planned appearance at a major investment conference in Saudi Arabia, in the wake of the growing furor over the fate of critical Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Published October 17, 2018
Small countries make big statements at Chess Olympiad
The Olympiad is the moveable feast on the chess menu, a massive biennial team competition that attracts entrants from virtually every country across the globe. There's so much chess going on -- and so much focus on what the Big Boys and Big Girls are doing on the top-seeded boards, that it's easy to overlook some impressive chess played lower down the ratings chart. Published October 16, 2018
Paula White, Donald Trump’s ‘personal pastor,’ says president serious about faith
The Donald Trump that Florida evangelical minister Paula White sees is a good listener, a man who takes his faith seriously while not always being fluent in "Christianese" and, unlike so many of his predecessors, a politician who has kept his promises to faith voters and evangelical Christian groups after he won the presidency with the help of their votes. Published October 11, 2018
