David R. Sands

Critics pan Pentagon’s strategic posture review, lack of action on China threat

Critics across the spectrum say the strategic blueprint ordered up by President Biden and outlined by Pentagon officials Monday falls far short of its own self-described mission: to reorient the U.S. military to face what Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin calls the "pacing threat" posed by a rising China in the Indo-Pacific region. Published November 30, 2021

Drawn out: Bloodless opening to Carlsen-Nepomniachtchi world chess title match

'We try." That was a more than slightly peeved Magnus Carlsen, as the Norwegian world chess champion and challenger GM Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia faced questions Sunday over the three (now four) draws to open their scheduled 14-game title match in Dubai. Published November 30, 2021

New opening produces another draw in chess title match

Chess champion Magnus Carlsen tried a new opening with White Tuesday, but the result was the same: yet another draw in Game 4 of his title defense against Russian challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi. Published November 30, 2021

Iranian demands raise fresh doubts as nuke talks resume

Iran refused to meet face-to-face with American diplomats as talks over the Islamic republic's suspect nuclear programs resumed Monday in Vienna following a five-month hiatus -- a period in which a hardline new government has come to power. Published November 29, 2021

Honduras election a cause for celebration — in China

The apparent victory of leftist challenger Xiomara Castro in Sunday's presidential election in Honduras is being warmly welcomed in another capital -- Beijing. Published November 29, 2021

Israeli leaders warn: Iran can’t be trusted as nuclear talks resume

Israeli leaders are escalating a lobbying campaign against the nuclear deal with Iran, even as expectations are low that resumed negotiations in Vienna this week will produce a breakthrough to revive the accord. Published November 29, 2021

Low-key struggle leads to quiet draw as world chess title fight remains tied

They avoided the theatrics of the first two games, but a draw was again the result Sunday as world chess champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway and Russian challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi remain tied with 1 1/2 points apiece in their scheduled 14-game match in Dubai. Published November 28, 2021

Seesaw battle leads to second draw to open world chess title match

Both players had chances in a sharp struggle, but the result was 58-move draw in the second game of the 14-game world chess championship match between titleholder Magnus Carlsen of Norway and challenger Ian Neponiachtchi of Russia Saturday in Dubai. Published November 27, 2021

Carlsen presses but held to draw in world chess championship match’s first game

World chess champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway, playing the Black pieces, survived some early pressure and then mismanaged a favorable position to draw Russian challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi in the first game of the scheduled 14-game title match in Dubai Friday. Published November 26, 2021

‘Squid Game’ smuggler gets death sentence as North Korea cracks down

In totalitarian North Korea, it's not just the fictional characters competing in "Squid Game" who are in mortal danger. Published November 25, 2021

Carlsen, Nepomniachtchi square off for chess crown this week

Magnus Carlsen is sounding a little cocky -- and history suggests he may have a right to preen. There have been some 60 or so world championship matches (the numbers get a little fuzzy with the Split Crown Era of the late 1990s and early 2000s) since the mid-19th century, and there have been no real shocking upsets on the order of Buster Douglas knocking out Mike Tyson or the 1969 Mets winning the World Series. Published November 23, 2021

Missing Chinese tennis star surfaces in video from Beijing tournament

Chinese female tennis star Peng Shuai has been seen publicly for the first time in weeks Published November 21, 2021

Vets get a big jump in retirement pay to help fight inflation

In another sign that the U.S. military is facing the same economic headwinds as the civilian population, the Defense Department announced Friday that military retirees and survivors will receive a 5.9% cost-of-living boost in pay and survivor benefits. Published November 19, 2021

China fuming over Biden’s talk of U.S. Olympic boycott, sends invite to Putin

China's Foreign Ministry Friday sharply criticized President Biden's comments that he is weighing a modified boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, accusing Washington of politicizing the global sports event. Published November 19, 2021

Patricia Posey, a smiling presence with The Times from the start, dies at age 72

Patricia Posey, who mixed professional competence with relentless good cheer as a charter employee of The Washington Times, has died at the age of 72. Published November 16, 2021

Middle East dispatch: Chess on the rise again in a cradle of the game

A cradle of chess may be celebrating a new birth. Published November 16, 2021

Russia’s Lavrov rejects U.S. complaints on satellite strike

Russia's top diplomat on Tuesday rejected sharp U.S. criticism of a test of a satellite-killer missile that left a large trail of debris in outer space, arguing Washington was to blame for blocking global efforts to contain the militarization of outer space. Published November 16, 2021

Meet the candidates: Firouzja, Caruana, Lei book chess title tourney slots

Alireza Firouzja has been tipped as a future world champion contender since he burst on the scene by winning Iran's national championship in 2016 at the tender age of 12, earning his grandmaster spurs two years later. Published November 9, 2021

Couple in France awarded ‘turbine syndrome’ damages from nearby wind farm

In what may be the first decision of its kind, a court has ruled that a Belgian couple living in France is entitled to some $127,000 in damages for health problems they say were caused by a nearby energy-producing wind farm. Published November 8, 2021

Kremlin: Western reports of troop buildup near Ukraine ‘fake news’

The Russian government Tuesday dismissed as "cheap, fake news" reports of a major buildup of troops and weaponry near the country's tense borders with Ukraine and Belarus. Published November 2, 2021