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

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. Published 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. Published 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. Published 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. Published July 24, 2012

Politics takes a back seat as Obama, Boehner appeal for unity after shooting

Politics was put aside for a day as President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner both called for the nation to come together in the wake of the Colorado movie theater shooting Friday that took the lives of 12 people and wounded dozens more. Published July 21, 2012

SANDS: Fiercest fights often play out far from top boards

Some of the fiercest competition at your typical chess tournament can be found far from the top boards. Published July 17, 2012

SANDS: Shabalov, Sokolov are on top of the World

Holding off a battalion of younger challengers, a pair of well-seasoned veterans secured the top places on the chess leaderboard at the 40th World Open, which wrapped up Sunday at its traditional home in Philadelphia. Published July 10, 2012

SANDS: U.S. Chess Center, founder to be honored

Congratulations to the U.S. Chess Center and its founder, David Mehler, who will be honored for their work with area youths at the U.S. Chess Federation 2012 annual awards next month in Vancouver, Wash. Published July 3, 2012

SANDS: National Open kicks off summer rush of chess tournaments

While much of the rest of the world is checking out vacation schedules and beach condo rental rates, the U.S. chess world is gearing up for perhaps its busiest stretch of the year, with tournaments galore in the coming days to keep a columnist busy. Published June 26, 2012

SANDS: Maryland hosts string of top chess events in July

For two weeks and two days starting late next month, the Rockville Hilton will be the chess epicenter of the country as Maryland Chess Association officials plan five major events in the space of 16 days, including a strong open tournament featuring former U.S. champion Gata Kamsky and Potomac-based former world senior champ GM Larry Kaufman. Published June 19, 2012

SANDS: Top GMs mix it up in Moscow in spirit of Tal

Mikhail Tal, the great Soviet world champion, rarely lacked the will or the inclination to mix it up, but the same thing cannot always be said of his elite peers. Published June 12, 2012

TWT polls: Rubio is conservatives’ top pick for Romney’s running mate

Sen. Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants and a rapidly rising star in the Republican Party, emerged this weekend as the clear favorite potential vice presidential pick of conservative activists, according to two polls sponsored by The Washington Times. Published June 10, 2012

TWT Poll: Rubio top conservative pick for Romney’s running mate

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio emerged as the clear first choice of conservative activists as a running mate for GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney this fall, beating out his nearest rival by a margin of 2-to-1, according to a Washington Times-sponsored poll of more than 500 attendees of the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) gathering in Chicago on Friday. Published June 8, 2012

SANDS: Anand retains chess crown by slimmest of margins

By the narrowest of margins, world chess champion Viswanathan Anand of India has retained the crown he has held since 2007, defeating a game Israeli GM Boris Gelfand in a four-game rapid playoff Thursday in Moscow after the two deadlocked 6-6 in their classical title match. Published June 5, 2012

Indian Anand retains world chess title

Indian world chess champion Viswanathan Anand successfully defended his crown Wednesday, winning a four-game playoff in Moscow over challenger Boris Gelfand, who was seeking to become the first Israeli grandmaster ever to hold the title. Published May 30, 2012

SANDS: World chess championship heads for rapid playoff

The FIDE world championship match is headed into overtime as Indian champ Viswanathan Anand and Israeli challenger Boris Gelfand drew their final game Monday to finish knotted at 6-6. Aside from a brief dust-up that produced victories for each player in Games 7 and 8, the two players resembled a pair of soccer teams content to settle things with penalty kicks, unwilling to take any risks to try to score a goal. Published May 29, 2012

SANDS: Nakamura, Krush reclaim U.S. chess titles

Two ex-champions are back atop the heap in American chess and we finally got a little action in the world title match as well, in what proved to be an exceptionally eventful week for the game. Published May 22, 2012

SANDS: No blood spilled in Moscow’s early chess clashes

The world championship chess match in Moscow between Indian titleholder Viswanathan Anand of India and challenger Boris Gelfand of Israel has reached the quarter post, with a few fireworks but no decisive results in the first three games of the scheduled 12-game match. Published May 15, 2012

SANDS: World, U.S. chess titles up for grabs this week

It may not be the sexiest chess pairing of all time, but we have a legitimate world championship match on tap and one that could prove more entertaining than some anticipate. Published May 8, 2012

SANDS: Spirited chess battle a draw for Kramnik, Aronian

The six-game match between Russian GM Vladimir Kramnik and Armenian GM Levon Aronian that wrapped up in Zurich on Sunday proved unexpectedly entertaining. The world's No. 2 and No. 3 players, evenly matched and theoretically armed to the teeth, showed a refreshing willingness to mix it up and take risks before settling for a 3-3 tie after Kramnik just missed a win in Sunday's final round. Published May 1, 2012