David R. Sands
Articles by David R. Sands
Kelly Craft confirmed to be U.N. ambassador by Senate
Despite a last-minute push by minority Democrats, the Senate on Wednesday approved President Trump's choice of Kelly Craft, a former ambassador to Canada and major donor to Republican causes, as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Published July 31, 2019
In chess, the king is not always a royal pain
It is not, in fact, always good to be the king. In chess, the king is both indispensable and a giant pain in the neck, an entitled, one-square-at-a-time attention hog who needs constant protection and reinforcement. Still, there are some rare examples where the king gets to shine, when His Majesty takes the initiative and doesn't just sit there leading from behind. Published July 31, 2019
Another Beltway back-up as New Yorker magazine deliveries delayed
A huge back-up on Washington's notorious Beltway has caused another traveler to miss a scheduled appointment. Published July 26, 2019
Awonder Liang, Carissa Yip, Alex Shabalov shine in triple chess championships
Two weeks' worth of hard work at the Chess Club of St. Louis produced three new U.S. champions, with 16-year-old Wisconsin GM Awonder Liang recording a rare three-peat as U.S. junior champion, edging out New Jersey GM Nicolas Checa in a playoff after the two tied in the 10-player invitational at 7-2. Published July 23, 2019
Seniors sizzle among a tsunami of summer chess events
The so-called dog days for summer can leave a chess columnist dog tired. That's because the hot weather and vacation schedules annually combine for a tsunami of summer tournaments, from superelite events in Europe to national championships in Norway and Uzbekistan to a slew of strong Swiss tournaments across the U.S. Published July 16, 2019
China-led Asian investment bank holds annual meeting in heart of Europe
A Beijing-based infrastructure funding bank strongly backed by the Chinese government is holding its annual meeting Friday in Luxembourg, the first time the event has been held in Europe and a sign the bank may be looking beyond Asia for investment opportunities. Published July 12, 2019
U.S. women’s chess champ Jennifer Yu seeks fresh challenge in U.S. juniors
She first appeared in this space five years ago when we wrote of Ashburn, Virginia, middle-schooler Jennifer Yu's impressive second-place finish in the Under-2200 section of the 2014 D.C. International. Published July 9, 2019
Opening a path to chess immortality
Winning a world championship is nice, but if you really want to enhance your brand in chess, invent an opening. Published July 2, 2019
Aleksandra Goryachkina, a dark horse, gallops to win in women’s chess candidates
If you overlook her Under-10, Under-14 and Under-18 girls' world championships, her two world junior girls' titles and her two Russian women's championship belts, there was no way one would have predicted 20-year-old GM Aleksandra Goryachkina's stunning result in this month's women's candidates' tournament in Kazan, Russia. Published June 25, 2019
Iranian commander: Could have shot down manned U.S. plane if we wanted to
A top commander of the hard-line Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps said Friday that his forces could have shot down a U.S. Navy P8 plane with 35 people of board on the same day it downed an unmanned U.S. surveillance drone, but "refrained" from doing so to send a message to Washington. Published June 21, 2019
Chess: This Cherry Blossom Classic was a pip
The annual Cherry Blossom Classic last month attracted perhaps the strongest field in its seven-year history. Published June 11, 2019
South Korea poll shows falling support for diplomatic outreach to Pyongyang
The number of South Koreans supporting President Moon Jae-in's diplomatic engagement with North Korea has fallen markedly as two summits between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have yet to deliver a major breakthrough, a new poll found Friday. Published June 7, 2019
Fierce fighting in tournament to challenge for women’s chess crown
For the second week in a row, we're going to focus on the women. and the Middle East. Today, we move to the Big Girls' Table, where eight of the world's strongest female grandmasters are battling it out this month for the right to challenge Chinese women's world champ GM Ju Wenjun later this year. Published June 4, 2019
Shinzo Abe, Japan PM, to head to Iran after Trump summit: Report
Fresh off of hosting President Trump in Tokyo late last month, Japanese Prime Minister ShinzoAbe is planning a three-day trip to U.S. arch-foe Iran next week, the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper reported Monday. Published June 3, 2019
Netanyahu to face new election after failing to form coalition
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces the prospect of facing a national vote for the second time in a year after his efforts to create a new governing coalition broke down Thursday amid feuding by his right-wing negotiating partners. Published May 29, 2019
China amps up threat to curb rare earth exports in U.S. trade clash
Chinese officials have made their most explicit threat to date that they are willing to use their near-monopoly on so-called "rare earth" minerals to force President Trump to back off on his trade war with Beijing. Published May 28, 2019
The women’s chess game thrives in unlikely climes
Why chess is such a male-dominated pastime and why more women do not play the world's greatest game are two rabbit holes we haven't the inclination or the space to go down here. Published May 28, 2019
Official Iranian inflation rate hits 34 percent for last 12 months
Iran's official inflation rate for the 12 months ending in mid-May reached 34.2 percent, another sign that President Trump's pressure campaign on Tehran is having a major impact on the economy. Published May 22, 2019
Magnus Carlsen’s hot chess play ranks with the game’s great streaks
Magnus Carlsen is on a roll. The world's best player is also the world's hottest player, as the Norwegian world champ has run up a spectacular string of top-flight wins this spring, including four straight first-place finishes -- Tata Steel, Shamkir, Grenke and, last week, the rapid/blitz Grand Chess Tour event in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Published May 21, 2019
Canada claims victory in U.S. trade clash over tariffs
Canadian political and business leaders claimed victory Friday after President Trump announced the U.S. will roll back hefty year-old tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from its NAFTA partners Canada and Mexico. Published May 17, 2019
