David R. Sands
Articles by David R. Sands
Turkey’s Erdogan calls Russian moves against Ukraine ‘unacceptable’
Turkey, whose control of access to the Black Sea could play a critical role in the crisis in Ukraine, rejects Russia's recognition of two breakaway Ukrainian enclaves as "unacceptable," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call Tuesday. Published February 23, 2022
D.C.’s storied role as an incubator of Black chess in America
'As a matter of fact, one can claim the greater Washington D.C. metropolitan area was the cradle for Black chess in America." Local writer and two-time D.C. chess champion Gregory Kearse made that claim in a seminal 1998 article for Chess Life, which noted that the thriving local area chess scene in the 1960s helped develop the first officially rated African American chess masters. Published February 22, 2022
Putin’s preoccupations drive a global crisis as he claims Russia has been disrespected
ANALYSIS: Russian President Vladimir Putin offered an intimate glimpse into his thinking in a rambling, peevish, hourlong address laying out exactly why he was effectively taking another bite out of neighboring Ukraine and risking sanctions and perhaps the nastiest war in Europe in decades. Published February 21, 2022
Putin orders troops to ‘protect’ breakaway Ukrainian provinces
Defying warnings from the U.S. and its allies, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized two breakaway enclaves in neighboring Ukraine as independent states and authorized Russian troops to cross into Ukrainian territory as a "peacekeeping" force. Published February 21, 2022
Putin recognizes breakaway Ukrainian states, authorizes Russian ‘peacekeepers’
Russia will recognize the independence of two separatist enclaves inside Ukraine, defying efforts from the U.S. and its allies to tamp down the crisis in Eastern Europe, President Vladimir Putin confirmed in a national address Monday. Published February 21, 2022
Biden says Putin has decided to invade Ukraine within days
President Biden on Friday said Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided to invade Ukraine and that an attack could come within days. Published February 18, 2022
‘Very high’ chance of invasion soon, Biden says
President Biden and his top aides unleashed a new volley of warnings Thursday that the Kremlin is preparing for a military invasion of neighboring Ukraine, perhaps in the next few days, as the administration brushed aside Russian protestations to the contrary. Published February 17, 2022
Blinken defends U.S. info blitz predicting Russian military action
Secretary of State Antony Blinken launched a scathing attack Thursday on what he said were Russian preparations for a possibly imminent invasion of Ukraine, saying the Biden administration has issued a blitz of warnings in recent weeks about potential Russian provocations as a way to head off war. Published February 17, 2022
Belarusian President Lukashenko to meet Putin Friday amid soaring Ukraine tensions
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, whose country is hosting some 30,000 Russian troops for joint training exercises close to the border with Ukraine, will travel to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the official Belarusian press agency reported Wednesday. Published February 16, 2022
Ottawa police chief reportedly resigning as convoy protesters defy government
Ottawa's embattled police chief has stepped down amid widespread complaints over his handling of the "Freedom Convoy" of truckers who have shut down the heart of Canada's capital city for more than two weeks. Published February 15, 2022
The lasting chess legacies of Feuerstein, Averbakh
Arthur W. Feuerstein, a chess player who died Feb. 2 at the age of 86, is one of the prime "might-have-beens" of the era. Published February 15, 2022
U.S. bangs the drum on Ukraine as Putin weighs options
Russian President Vladimir Putin gave one of the first signs on Monday that he is considering easing back from a massive military buildup around Ukraine, but the Biden administration remained highly skeptical and continued to warn that an invasion of Ukraine could be imminent. Published February 14, 2022
Putin, Belarus’ Lukashenko to meet amid massive joint drills on Ukraine border
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko are set to meet in person this weekend, at a time when a major joint military drill they are conducting near Belarus' border with Ukraine has sent tensions soaring that conflict may be imminent. Published February 14, 2022
State Department toughens warning on travel to Ukraine
The State Department on Thursday raised its threat level warning for Americans traveling to Ukraine and urged all American citizens in the country to leave, citing the potential for Russian military action against its neighbor as well as the continuing threat of COVID-19. Published February 10, 2022
Ukraine says Russian naval drills are choking off trade
Ukrainian officials said Russian naval drills off its Black Sea coast are disrupting trade and hurting the economy, even as Russian and Belarusian forces began 10 days of major military exercises close to Ukraine's northern border. Published February 10, 2022
Olympic controversy inflames debate in South Korea over China ties
Relations with China already were proving a delicate and divisive issue in the run-up to South Korea's too-close-to-call presidential elections just a month away. And that was before "Speedskatergate." Published February 9, 2022
A chess battle of the sexes and a history of the World (Open)
It's Gibraltar, so they clearly know how to rock on. The hugely popular annual chess festival on the little spot of Britain at the mouth of the Mediterranean was called off last year because of COVID-19, and tournament sponsors had to scramble again this year because the Caleta Hotel, the longtime venue for the event, has just closed for a three-year renovation. Published February 8, 2022
Biden OKs more troops to Eastern Europe as replies to Russia leak
President Biden on Wednesday signed off on sending additional troops to reinforce NATO allies in eastern Europe amid a mounting crisis with Russia over Ukraine and security policy across the continent. The U.S. troops could begin deploying within days, U.S. officials said. Published February 2, 2022
Russian troops in Belarus for exercises to stay until at least Feb. 20
Russian troops that have deployed to Belarus for joint military exercises near the Ukrainian border will be in the country at least through Feb. 20, the Russian Defense Ministry announced Wednesday. Published February 2, 2022
Peeved Putin complains West ‘ignored’ demands as Blinken, Lavrov confer
Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the U.S. and its allies of dismissing the Kremlin's "fundamental concerns" about the military standoff across Eastern Europe, while Ukraine announced plans Tuesday to dramatically expand the size of its armed forces, adding fresh uncertainty to the slow-burning crisis. Published February 1, 2022
