David R. Sands
Articles by David R. Sands
Indian phenom in chess snags last berth in Candidates’ field
Indian GM Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa -- "Pragg" to his friends and space-stressed headline writers everywhere -- has snagged the eighth and final slot in next spring's Candidates tournament, riding a string of strong results this year that began with a win at the elite Tata Steel Masters in January and wrapped up with a tie for first in the just-completed London Chess Classic Open. Published December 16, 2025
Best of Chess freeware serves up only the fun stuff
Santa has come a little early this year, if you happen to be a chess columnist pressed for high-entertainment content during the holiday season. Published December 9, 2025
Unlikely trio joins race to challenge chess champ Gukesh
The field of grandmasters competing in the next spring's Candidates Tournament to pick a challenger to reigning world champ GM Dommaraju Gukesh of India is now all but set, and one thing is for sure: There will be a lot of dark horses in the stable when the clocks start in Cyprus on March 28. Published December 2, 2025
Narrow escapes, reasons for gratitude at the chessboard
In this week of giving thanks, perhaps no one has greater cause for gratitude than Chinese GM Wei Yi. Published November 25, 2025
Dulles tourney puts Nakamura over the top in title quest
If American GM Hikaru Nakamura succeeds in his quest to become the first American world chess champion since Bobby Fischer abdicated the throne 50 years ago, let the record show the crucial contributions provided by Tanush Dokka, Khanim Ismayilova, FM Matthew Guo Diao, IM Susal Thewjan De Silva and GM Praveen Balakrishnan. Published November 18, 2025
Local boy makes good: Ginsburg shares world senior title
It sounds like a paradox, but the D.C. area is becoming something of a cradle for senior world champions. Published November 11, 2025
Suba’s originality helped reshape modern chess
Grandmaster Mihai Suba, who died last week at the age of 78, had a distinguished career at the chessboard. Published November 4, 2025
Naroditsky’s death casts pall over U.S. title tournaments
It was a wrenching week of the familiar and the unfathomable for American chess. Published October 28, 2025
Fierce fights as U.S. title tourneys near climax
It's just past the halfway point in the U.S. open and women's national championship tournaments, with fierce fights for the crown still very much up in the air at this point. Published October 21, 2025
An Oktoberfest toast to a German chess breakthrough
Appropriately for this Oktoberfest season, German chess is having a moment. Published October 14, 2025
Two very different glimpses into the future of chess
We have just been given a peek at the possible future of chess -- in more ways than one. Published October 7, 2025
At 100, an iconoclast’s ‘System’ still packs a punch
In 1925, the German-language edition of Aron Nimzowitsch's "Mein System" hit the bookstores, laying out for the first time in comprehensive fashion the key principles of the newfangled hypermodern school of chess. Published September 30, 2025
Young U.S. stars shine in FIDE Swiss battle
There has been a lot of buzz recently (including in this space) about a rising generation of young Indian chess stars poised to dominate the game in the coming years. Published September 23, 2025
Playing down for a shot at chess’ highest prize
The road to the chess world championship just may wind through New Orleans and Iowa City. Published September 16, 2025
Plucky U.S. squad shares third in NATO chess tilt
NATO has had its issues in recent times, but fortunately, the U.S. and its military allies are still able to come together for some friendly skirmishing at the chessboard. Published September 9, 2025
Peddi, So shine during a busy August for chess
August is the month when the world shuts down and the chess scene heats up. Published September 2, 2025
A defensive master’s attacking masterpieces
It may sound like the chess equivalent of "Babe Ruth's Best Bunts," but Swedish IM Thomas Engqvist's new book "Ulf the Attacker" shines an unexpected light on one of his country's best and most popular players of the modern era. Published August 19, 2025
Swiercz’s surge leads to U.S. Open title
There was some heartbreak and last-round drama at the 125th annual U.S. Open in Middleton, Wisconsin, last week, with Missouri GM Darius Swiercz emerging from the pack to take solo first and punch his ticket for a berth in the next U.S. national championship tournament. Published August 12, 2025
Remembering when the Raging Rooks took down a chess barrier
It might have been the biggest U.S. chess story in the mainstream press since Bobby Fischer's world championship win two decades earlier, and one still worth recalling today for its impact on the direction of American chess. Published August 5, 2025
Late-round heroics secure U.S. championship titles
There were some late-round dramatics and down-to-the-wire battles as the 2025 U.S. junior, junior girls and senior championships wrapped up last week at the St. Louis Chess Club. In all three events, the margin of victory was a mere half-point. Published July 29, 2025
