David R. Sands
Articles by David R. Sands
A holiday sampler of the inexhaustible joys of chess
In this season of gift-giving, it's good to reflect on the inexhaustible generosity of the game we love. Yes, the losses can be painful, the pressure intense, and the strain of trying to hold a pawn-down queen-and-knight ending can seem like pure drudgery. But chess also can be rewarding in so many ways. Published December 24, 2024
Gukesh took risks to best a too-cautious chess champ
The shocking blunder that decided a tense world championship match didn't come until Game 14's Move 55, but one got the sense that the defending Chinese champion GM Ding Liren had psychologically surrendered his crown to young Indian challenger GM Gukesh Dommaraju in a small positional skirmish almost 30 moves earlier. Published December 17, 2024
Indian teenage grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju becomes youngest world chess champion in history
Indian grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju, 18, has become the youngest world chess champion in the history of the game, dethroning Chinese star grandmaster Ding Liren Thursday in their title match in Singapore. Published December 12, 2024
Gukesh, Ding trade late-match wins, setting up thrilling chess title fight finale
Go ahead -- you can call it a comeback. Chinese world champion Ding Liren showcased his trademark title match resilience, bouncing back from a painful Game 11 loss to Indian challenger GM Gukesh Donnemaju with a powerful win in Monday's Game 12 to knot their FIDE title match in Singapore at 6-6 with just two classical games to go. Published December 10, 2024
Ding sets the tone as world chess title match with Gukesh knotted at 3-3
We're just short of halfway through the 14-game match of the world title match in Singapore, and it's becoming clear that as the champ goes, so will go the match. Published December 3, 2024
Russia, Iran rally to Assad’s aid after shock rebel offensive
Russia and Iran have rushed to the aid of an embattled ally as the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad announced a counteroffensive against rebel groups that have scored stunning advances in the past 48 hours. Published December 1, 2024
U.S. suspends partnership with Georgia as pro-Russia government faces new street protests
The Biden administration has suspended a major cooperation deal with the nation of Georgia after the government in Tbilisi announced it was halting its effort to join the European Union and integrate more closely with the West. Published December 1, 2024
Not so fast: Ding stuns young challenger Gukesh to win opening game of world chess title fight
Chinese world champion Ding Liren put a string of recent shaky performances behind him, stunning Indian challenger Dommaraju Gukesh with the black pieces to take the first game of their scheduled 14-game world title match Monday in Singapore. Published November 26, 2024
Hardaway breaks barrier, becomes the first U.S.-born African American chess GM
Twenty-five years ago, Maurice Ashley, who was born in Jamaica but moved to New York as a boy, became the country's first -- and for a long time its only -- African-American chess grandmaster. He's about to get some company, this time from a proud son of the Bronx. Published November 19, 2024
In about-face, Biden to give Ukraine long-sought long-range missiles for war
President Biden will permit Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied long-range missiles to strike deeper inside Russia, according to multiple media reports, lifting a longstanding ban put in place for fear it could provoke the Kremlin to respond. Published November 17, 2024
Biden, China’s Xi to meet Saturday on sidelines of Pacific summit, White House says
President Biden and China's President Xi Jinping will meet on the sidelines of a summit of Pacific Rim nations Saturday in Lima, Peru, the White House announced Wednesday, likely one of the last meetings Mr. Biden will have with another top world leader before giving way to President-elect Donald Trump in January. Published November 13, 2024
Pachman at 100: Czech writer’s impact on chess still being felt
The debate over the principles of sound chess play has been an enjoyable conversation that's been going on for centuries. A civilized and essential voice in the debate was Czech-German GM and author Ludek Pachman, born 100 years ago this year. Published November 12, 2024
Greece dominates, U.S. leaves it all on the battlefield at NATO Chess Championship
Our defense budget may be second to none, but when it comes to chess, the U.S. still lacks the firepower of some of our closest NATO allies. The 34th NATO Chess Championship, one of our favorite annual events, concluded last month on the island of Rhodes, with the Greek hosts taking home the title they first won in 2022. Published November 5, 2024
Class acts: Caruana, Yip defend chess titles at U.S. national championships
U.S. national champion GM Fabiano Caruana and U.S. women's national titleholder IM Carissa Yip successfully defended their crowns at the national championship tournaments that ended last week at the Chess Club of St. Louis. It was the fourth open American title belt for Caruana, the country's highest-rated player, and the third for Yip. Published October 29, 2024
North Korean troops already deploying to the war zone to aid Russia, Ukraine says
North Korean troops deployed to Russia have already been spotted on the battlefields of the Ukraine-Russia war, the Ukrainian defense intelligence service said Thursday. Published October 24, 2024
Judge orders Army to release records on Trump Arlington National Cemetery visit by end of week
A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Army to release its internal records on former President Donald Trump's August visit to Arlington National Cemetery by the end of the week. Published October 22, 2024
Yoo’s outburst casts a shadow over U.S. chess title tourney
In an incident that generated national headlines, 17-year-old GM Christopher Yoo, upset over a painful Round 5 loss to top-seeded GM Fabiano Caruana at the ongoing U.S. Championship Tournament in St. Louis, ripped up his scorecard, abruptly left the board and -- worst of all -- struck a female videographer from behind as he left the tournament hall. The U.S. Chess Federation, rightly, immediately disqualified the young California GM, and his games -- including the loss to Caruana -- will not count toward the final scores. Published October 22, 2024
After Hamas leader’s death, Israel faces key decision on Gaza campaign
The death of Yahya Sinwar, the head of Hamas and the architect of the Palestinian militant group's Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist rampage across southern Israel, raised fresh questions about which direction the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would take after the security triumph. Published October 17, 2024
Israel confirms death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza clash
Yahya Sinwar, the head of Hamas and the architect of the Palestinian militant group's Oct. 7, 2023, brutal rampage across southern Israel, has been killed in a raid in the Gaza Strip, Israel said Thursday. Published October 17, 2024
Fischer’s ‘prize’ once again goes unclaimed at U.S. national chess title fight
When it comes to prizes, Alfred Nobel has nothing on Bobby Fischer. Sure, you have to end a war or cure a disease or solve some esoteric problem in particle physics, but it's a sure bet that every year at least six people -- often more -- will get some face-time with the king of Sweden for winning a Nobel. By contrast, the lucrative bonus that comes with matching Bobby's epic 11-0 sweep in the 1963-64 U.S. national championship has been offered every year since 2009 and not a single player has come close to claiming the Fischer Prize. Published October 15, 2024
