David R. Sands
Articles by David R. Sands
Weak holiday retail numbers clouds U.S. recovery hopes
U.S. retail sales unexpectedly tumbled nearly 1 percent in December, the Commerce Department announced Wednesday, sending U.S. stock markets lower and leading at least one analyst to says it's time to pump the brakes on talk of a strong U.S. economic rebound in 2015. Published January 14, 2015
DAVID R. SANDS: Rough start for young U.S. chess star as Tata battles get underway
It's been a rough hazing for America's newest — and youngest — grandmaster as 14-year-old New Yorker Sam Sevian suffered two losses and a draw out of the gate at the Tata Steel Challengers tournament that got underway last week in the storied chess town of Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands. Published January 13, 2015
No religion safe from satire of Charlie Hebdo cartoonists, writers
A ring of Roman Catholic cardinals voting on a new pope are drawn engaged in group gay sex. A mock movie ad for "Untouchables 2" shows a Jewish rabbi pushing a Muslim imam seated in a wheelchair. Singer Michael Jackson is depicted as a dancing skeleton just days after his fatal drug overdose. President Obama tries to "reassure" white American voters by asking a hooded KKK member to be his running mate. Published January 7, 2015
DAVID R. SANDS: Alexander Ivanov adds to his collection of Eastern Open chess titles
With his closest pursuers all winning, veteran Massachusetts GM Alexander Ivanov came through with a last-round win over D.C. master Srdjan Darmanovic to capture the 41st annual Eastern Open last month, a Washington year-end tradition held at the Doubletree Hotel in Bethesda. Published January 6, 2015
Invisible Children, group behind Joseph Kony video, will slim operations
While notorious Lord's Resistance Army leader Joseph Kony remains — for now — at large, the organization that did the most to spotlight his crimes and spark an international manhunt for his capture is closing down its mission in Uganda as part of a major downsizing. Published December 31, 2014
DAVID R. SANDS: Cuba move a boon for chess
It probably didn't factor into his decision, but President Obama's recent diplomatic breakthrough with Cuba could have the side benefit of re-establishing normal relations with one of the world's great chess-playing cultures, a country with a rich history in the game that has long punched above its weight in global chess circles. Published December 30, 2014
DAVID R. SANDS: Basking in the Basque: Format offers unique chess challenges
It's rapidly (no pun intended) becoming one of my favorite events of the year. In addition to bridge, Go, checkers and other tournaments, the annual SportAccord World Mind Games, held earlier this month in Beijing, includes a "Basque rapid" chess event in which top grandmasters play two games simultaneously, one with the White pieces and one with the Black. Published December 23, 2014
DAVID R. SANDS: St. Louis claims first crown in U.S. Chess League play
In St. Louis this year, the Cardinals were good, but the Arch Bishops were better. The baseball team may have come up short in the playoffs, but the Gateway City's U.S. Chess League franchise went all the way, winning its first league championship in a blitz playoff against the Dallas Destiny Dec. 3. Published December 22, 2014
Safer roads: Traffic fatalities down nearly 25% over past decade
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced Friday that traffic fatalities on U.S. roads fell by 3.1 percent in 2013, while the number of people injured in crashes also declined by 2.1 percent. Published December 19, 2014
Government regulations hamper hiring, economic growth, manufacturers group president says
NEWSMAKER INTERVIEW: American manufacturers are longing to invest and create new jobs to fuel American growth but are being held back by costly regulations coming from Washington and uncertainty about what lies ahead, the head of the nation's biggest manufacturing trade group said. Published December 17, 2014
Federal Reserve Board will be ‘patient’ about possible rate hike in 2015
Sending a subtle but clear signal of a change to come, the Federal Reserve Board ended a two-day meeting by holding U.S. interest rates steady and saying it will be "patient" about ending the easy-money stance it has adopted since the onset of the Great Recession. Published December 17, 2014
Russian government strike fails to halt ruble’s slide
A sharp overnight hike in interest rates by Russia's central bank has failed to halt a record slide in the value of the ruble, which after a brief rally has fallen more than 11 percent against the dollar Tuesday in the face of intense selling by speculators. Published December 16, 2014
Russia central bank hikes interest rates to save ruble
Acting at an unannounced meeting after the markets had closed, Russia's central bank Monday sharply raised a key interest rate to fight currency speculators and prevent a further collapse in the value of the ruble. Published December 15, 2014
Minimum wage hike killed jobs, hurt low-skilled workers: study
In one of the most rigorous studies of its kind, two economists have concluded that an increase in the federal minimum wage in the mid-2000s resulted in substantial job losses and lower net income for the low-skilled workers the hike was supposed to benefit. Published December 12, 2014
Oil prices plummet worldwide as OPEC infighting intensifies
As the infighting among the world's oil producers heats up, the global price of oil is heading down. Published December 10, 2014
DAVID R. SANDS: Problematic chess results when a composer and a champion collide
They were champions in two very different realms of the game, so it was perhaps no great surprise that Wilhelm Steinitz and Sam Loyd enjoyed a not-so-friendly rivalry at times. Published December 10, 2014
China: Torture report undercuts U.S. on rights
There were no immediate reports of violence, but America's image took a hit overseas nonetheless Tuesday with the release of the Senate Intelligence Committee's findings on torture and the treatment of detainees by the CIA in the post-9/11 global war on terror. Published December 9, 2014
U.N. revives suspended food aid for Syrian refugees
Just over a week after cutting off critical food aid to some 1.7 million refugees of the Syrian civil war because of a lack of international contributions, the U.N.'s World Food Program announced Tuesday morning it had found the money to resume the program. Published December 9, 2014
U.S. economy set for growth, hiring in 2015, financial executives predict
The nation's financial executives are the latest group to predict even better times to come for the U.S. economy. In a new membership poll being released Tuesday, the industry's trade group says it sees growing payrolls, solid growth and continued low inflation in 2015. Published December 9, 2014
Benefit corporations raise legal, regulatory questions
The sharp rise in the number of benefit corporations has also led to some sharp questions about whether the socially-conscious but for-profit companies are delivering on their promises. Published December 7, 2014
