David R. Sands
Articles by David R. Sands
A fragrant cherry blossom bouquet shared at Virginia chess tournament
There was an international flavor at the top of the leaderboard at last month's 12th Cherry Blossom Classic in Sterling, Virginia, with Lithuanian GM Titas Stremavicius and Serbian GM Luka Budisavlijevic sharing top honors at 7-2, while foreign-based players claimed seven of the top 10 spots in the strong 50-player event. Published June 3, 2025
A high-class case of losing by resigning
For many beginning players, the trickiest thing about chess is not how to play a game but how to end one. Published May 27, 2025
Czech great Vlastimil Hort dies at 82
The ranks of the great generation of post-World War II chess players lost another luminary last week with the death of Czech-born, German-based GM Vlastimil Hort at the age of 81. Published May 20, 2025
New woes for Yoo after Sardinia win
The troubling saga of young U.S. GM Christopher Woojin Yoo has taken another dark turn -- right on the heels of the promising American junior's most impressive achievement to date over the chessboard. Published May 13, 2025
Geller at 100: A sterling career but never the brass ring
It seems every chess era produces at least one star-crossed player whose path to the top is blocked by an even greater talent. Published May 6, 2025
April shower of chess wins puts Ivanchuk back in the game’s top ranks
Don't look now, but one of the hottest players on the international circuit is a grizzled veteran who first earned his grandmaster spurs in the second Reagan administration. Published April 29, 2025
Ju retains women’s world crown with convincing win over chess rival
She doesn't always get the accolades of her great predecessors, such as Xie Jun and Hou Yifan, but the tenacious Chinese GM Ju Wenjun is carving out her own impressive chess legacy at the top of the women's game. Published April 22, 2025
Ju’s winning streak leaves rival reeling in women’s world chess title clash
Chinese women's world champion GM Ju Wenjun is just a draw away from retaining the title she has held since 2018, using a four-game midmatch winning streak to pull away from compatriot and longtime rival GM Tan Zhongyi in their scheduled 12-game clash in Shanghai and Chongqing. Published April 15, 2025
Even the chess greats falter when endgame pressure mounts
There's no hindsight in chess like endgame hindsight. Published April 8, 2025
April Fools’ gold: Chess deceit and deception in the spirit of the day
With all the pieces visible to both players and all the rules much pretty set in concrete, it's hard to think of a good April Fools' Day joke to play over the board in tournament play that doesn't run the risk of getting you forfeited. Published April 1, 2025
Nakamura tops archrival Caruana to claim American Cup
GMs Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana met again at the just-concluded 2025 American Cup, extending what is likely the most intense and balanced rivalry in the history of American chess. Published March 25, 2025
The greatest match that never was — when Fischer and Karpov didn’t meet
The history of chess is riddled with missed opportunities. Published March 18, 2025
India’s Pranav fits the mold as new world junior chess champ
In a rare double unlikely to be replicated, the new world chess champion is an 18-year-old grandmaster from the Indian city of Chennai, and the new world junior champion is, yep, an 18-year-old grandmaster from the Indian city of Chennai. Published March 11, 2025
All-around great: Spassky was defined by far more than that match with Fischer
Boris Spassky was far too great a chessplayer -- and human being -- to be defined and remembered by the one memorable match he lost. Published March 4, 2025
European leaders offer support for Ukraine, Zelenskyy after contentious White House visit
A number of top European leaders took to social media Friday to offer some backup for beleaguered Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after his tense, televised clash with President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance over the war with Russia and the road ahead. Published March 1, 2025
Putin to U.S.: We have mineral resources too for sale, development
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he is willing to make his country's significant rare earth and critical mineral resources available to U.S. buyers and investors, responding to President Trump's push for a similar deal with Ukraine. Published February 25, 2025
Champ’s blue jean blues latest move in the long clash between chess and fashion
Modern chessplayers -- to put it mildly -- are not exactly known for their sartorial sophistication. Now comes news that the most famous pair of blue jeans in chess history is up for sale -- the pair worn by former world champion Magnus Carlsen that earned him a rebuke from organizers at the World Rapid Championships in New York late last year for violating the event's dress code. Published February 25, 2025
Merz on track to win German election, but far-right party a clear second
Germany's center-right parties are on course to return to power after four years in opposition, while a far-right party that has garnered praise from top Trump administration figures doubled its vote for an unprecedented second-place finish in Sunday's national elections, according to the first exit polls from Berlin. Published February 23, 2025
Kremlin applauds Trump’s characterization of Zelenskyy; allies reaffirm support for Ukraine
President Trump's new comments that Ukraine started the war with Russia and that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is an unpopular "dictator" who refuses to hold elections generated a sharp pushback Wednesday from top European leaders -- and a ringing endorsement from Russia's foreign minister. Published February 19, 2025
Trump blasts Zelenskyy as ‘dictator’ who duped U.S. into sending aid
President Trump unleashed a blistering rebuke of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday, calling him a "dictator without elections" who tricked the U.S. into spending billions to help his country. Published February 19, 2025
