David R. Sands
Articles by David R. Sands
Despite Arpad Elo’s remarkable system, upsets still happen at the chessboard
It was nearly 60 years ago that Arpad Elo, a physics professor at Marquette and a fine amateur player, set out to quantify the seemingly unquantifiable -- how strong one's chess ability really is. Published February 26, 2019
Valentina Gunina reigns as queen of Cairns in powerful women’s chess event
The inaugural Cairns Cup, believed to be the strongest women's tournament ever held on U.S. soil, is in the books, and GM Valentina Gunina has claimed a little piece of history as the event's first winner. Published February 19, 2019
Top women claim the spotlight in strong St. Louis chess invitational
With a six-time U.S. women's champ, a four-time U.S. women's champ, a former women's world champion, and top female stars from Russia, Georgia, India and France gracing the field, the 1st Cairns Cup tournament that just hit the midpoint at the St. Louis Chess Club is easily the strongest women's event ever held on these shores. Published February 12, 2019
Class act Vladimir Kramnik retires from competitive chess at age 43
He may have been overshadowed at times by the man whose crown he took, but former Russian world titleholder Vladimir Kramnik will go down in the annals of chess history as a class act, an underrated fighter and one of the most complete players to ever play the game. Published February 5, 2019
European powers side with Donald Trump, demand Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro step down
France, Germany, Britain and six other European nations on Monday joined the U.S. and said they no longer recognized socialist President Nicolas Maduro as the country's rightful ruler, demanding that quick new national elections be organized. Published February 4, 2019
Adam Smith, House Armed Services chairman, fumes over Pentagon border testimony
The new Democratic chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said Thursday Pentagon officials were less than "fully transparent" when they testified this week on the military's plans to carry out President Trump's order to deploy to the southern border to bolster the fight against illegal immigration. Published January 31, 2019
Magnus Carlsen wins, but local hero makes mark at elite Tata chess tournament
It's the central plot of any number of Hollywood feel-good classics, like "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" and "Breaking Away" and "Rocky" (I, II, III, IV etc.) -- underdog local hero is offered an unexpected chance to compete against the big boys, comes through with inspiring victory. Published January 29, 2019
Trump comments may help Chinese exec go free: Canadian ambassador
Comments by President Trump may bolster a top Chinese executive's case fighting extradition from Canada to the U.S. for suspected illegal trading with Iran, Canada's ambassador to China said Wednesday. Published January 23, 2019
An internet-assisted tribute to Eliot Hearst, a fine American chess player
From drunk tweeting to Tide-pod-eating, the internet is proving to be perhaps the greatest enabler of human stupidity since the invention of alcohol. Published January 22, 2019
Mike Pompeo meets with top North Korean diplomat amid talk of second Trump-Kim summit
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is meeting with a top adviser to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at a Washington hotel Friday morning, amid speculation that the meeting will be a precursor to a second summit between President Trump and Mr. Kim. Published January 18, 2019
For best results, avoid the brilliancy in chess
Warning: Brilliant play does not always guarantee brilliant results. It's a curious phenomenon that very often the player who captures the traditional brilliancy prize for the best-played game of the tournament doesn't go on to win the tournament itself. Published January 15, 2019
Eliot Engel, House Foreign Affairs chairman, blasts Mike Pompeo over Mideast speech
The new Democratic chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee has sharply criticized Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's wide-ranging speech on Middle East policy in Cairo this week, saying Mr. Pompeo was airing a partisan fight with the Obama administration in front of a foreign audience. Published January 11, 2019
Chess players show skills shooting the rapids
Slower than fast and faster than slow, rapid chess has rapidly cemented its place in the competitive structure of the game. Once known as "active" chess, rapid chess -- with time controls ranging from 10 minutes to an hour per game -- has found the sweet spot between the sometimes plodding classical time controls and the often random quality of blitz. Published January 8, 2019
Latin neighbors press Venezuela’s Maduro to stand down
A group of a dozen Latin American nations, with the support of the Trump administration, are calling on Venezuela's socialist President Nicolas Maduro to cancel next week's planned inauguration for a new term in office and to give up power until new, fairer elections can be organized. Published January 4, 2019
Indians outraged, mystified by Trump’s Afghan library taunt
It was just a throwaway riff in President Trump's lengthy Cabinet monologue, but it rated as front-page news across India Thursday. Published January 3, 2019
Paul Whelan, American held in Russia, officially charged with spying: Report
A former U.S. Marine detained on a visit to Moscow a week ago has been formally indicted on espionage charges, the Russian Interfax news service reported Thursday. Published January 3, 2019
Alex Lenderman takes Eastern Open; Webster University rules Pan-Ams
Playing with the lead for the entire tournament, New York GM Alex Lenderman claimed his fourth title -- and his second in the past three years -- at the 45th annual Eastern Open, the D.C. area's traditional holiday week chess blowout that ended Sunday evening. Published December 31, 2018
Leinier Dominguez switches chess allegiance to U.S. from Cuba
Chess Grandmaster Leinier Dominguez, Cuba's strongest player and one of the top 20 ranked players in the world, is switching affiliations and now will play for the United States, officials at the U.S. Chess Federation announced Wednesday. Published December 19, 2018
Future is bright for chess in India with its rising young stars
If children are, indeed, the future, then the future is very bright for Indian chess. Published December 18, 2018
Chess world kept busy during Carlsen-Caruana clash
The chess world -- and this column -- have been understandably consumed for the past month with the drama in London, where American challenger Fabiano Caruana came up just short in his world title fight with Norwegian champ Magnus Carlsen, losing the rapid playoff after their 6-6 standoff (all draws) in the classical portion of the match. Published December 11, 2018
