David R. Sands
Articles by David R. Sands
U.S. challenger Caruana saves draw in epic first game of chess title match
World chess champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway pressed hard but could not crack the defenses of American challenger Fabiano Caruana, agreeing to a draw after a hard-fought 115 moves in the first game of their scheduled 12-game title match in London Friday. Published November 9, 2018
Pompeo abruptly cancels meeting with North Korean diplomat over nukes
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has postponed without explanation a planned meeting with a top North Korean official in New York Thursday meant to pump new momentum into talks over Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal. Published November 7, 2018
James Carville: Democratic wave ‘dissipating’
Longtime Democratic strategist James Carville said early results from Tuesday's midterm elections suggest the vaunted blue Democratic wave is not materializing. Published November 6, 2018
Chess title match offers window on the state of the game
One can always hope, but don't look for nail-biting, scintillating chess when world champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway and American challenger Fabiano Caruana sit down Nov. 9 for the first game of their 12-game match in London. Published November 6, 2018
Knute Buehler seeks to model Oregon campaign after blue state Republican governors
The vaunted blue wave is doing no favors for perhaps the nation's bluest governor this election cycle, as Oregon Democratic Gov. Kate Brown faces an unexpectedly persistent challenge from Republican state legislator Knute Buehler as she seeks her first full term in office in Tuesday's vote. Published November 1, 2018
Libertarian drops out, backs Tester’s opponent in tight Montana Senate race
A Libertarian Party candidate who threatened to be a spoiler in Montana's razor-close Senate race has pulled out of the race and endorsed Republican challenger Matt Rosendale over embattled Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Tester. Published October 31, 2018
U.S. great hope Fabiano Caruana preps for clash with Magnus Carlsen
GM Fabiano Caruana has a chance to match another phenom out of Brooklyn, Bobby Fischer, as he prepares to take on world champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway in a 12-game title match in London. Published October 30, 2018
Saudi crown prince breaks silence, condemns ‘heinous’ killing of Khashoggi
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman broke a long silence on the suspected murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the hands of Saudi government agents, denouncing what he called a "heinous crime" but saying nothing of whether he had any role in or knowledge of the plot. Published October 24, 2018
Operatic struggle offers chess on a grand scale
Even chess columnists have their biases. Oh, we try to be rigorously objective, favoring neither Black nor White, but we have a clear preference for a certain kind of game -- the flashy, shortish blowout, the stunning sacrifice, the combination that ends in a satisfying (and easily analyzable) checkmate. Published October 23, 2018
Russia sticking with Saudis amid boycotts over Khashoggi murder
Russia is one country that is not letting the international furor over the fate of dissident Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi disrupt its ties with the oil-rich kingdom. Published October 23, 2018
Jon Tester-Donald Trump feud over Ronny Jackson simmers in Montana rally
President Trump rekindled a simmering feud with Sen. Jon Tester, traveling to the senator's home state of Montana yet again Thursday evening to denounce the two-term Democrat's role in blocking his choice to head the Veterans Administration earlier this year. Published October 18, 2018
Jon Tester-Matt Rosendale Montana Senate race highlights Trump anger over Ronny Jackson
A messy, partisan Senate confirmation fight may play the deciding role in Montana's too-close-to-call U.S. Senate race, but it may not be the fight that first comes to mind. Published October 17, 2018
IMF’s Christine Lagarde latest to cancel on Saudi conference amid Khashoggi furor
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde is the latest high-profile figure in the financial world to scrub a planned appearance at a major investment conference in Saudi Arabia, in the wake of the growing furor over the fate of critical Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Published October 17, 2018
Small countries make big statements at Chess Olympiad
The Olympiad is the moveable feast on the chess menu, a massive biennial team competition that attracts entrants from virtually every country across the globe. There's so much chess going on -- and so much focus on what the Big Boys and Big Girls are doing on the top-seeded boards, that it's easy to overlook some impressive chess played lower down the ratings chart. Published October 16, 2018
Paula White, Donald Trump’s ‘personal pastor,’ says president serious about faith
The Donald Trump that Florida evangelical minister Paula White sees is a good listener, a man who takes his faith seriously while not always being fluent in "Christianese" and, unlike so many of his predecessors, a politician who has kept his promises to faith voters and evangelical Christian groups after he won the presidency with the help of their votes. Published October 11, 2018
IMF plans talks with Pakistan on debt help
A team of experts from the International Monetary Fund will travel to Islamabad in the coming weeks to discuss a possible financial assistance package for Pakistan -- despite warnings from U.S. lawmakers and the Trump administration that the money would be used to pay off massive debts Pakistan has run up with China. Published October 11, 2018
China scores rare double gold, U.S. earns silver at Chess Olympiad
For the first time in more than three decades, one nation went home with two team gold medals at the biennial Chess Olympiad this year. Published October 9, 2018
Chinese Open, women’s teams take gold; U.S. earns silver at chess Olympiad
China scored a rare double as its Open and women's teams both claimed the gold medal at the 43rd Chess Olympiad that concluded Friday in Batumi, Georgia. Published October 5, 2018
U.S. cancels 1950s treaty with Iran after international court rules against sanctions
The Trump administration is pulling out of an "obsolete" 63-year-old friendship treaty with Iran, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Wednesday, just hours after an international tribunal ruled the U.S. government must roll back some of the economic sanctions it has imposed on Tehran over its nuclear and missile programs. Published October 3, 2018
U.S. chess teams off to strong starts in Batumi Olympiad
In an event where a single early setback can put a team irretrievably behind the 8-ball, the U.S. open and women's teams have been taking care of business and are still very much in the running for some medal hardware at the 43rd Chess Olympiad now just past the halfway point in Batumi, Georgia. Published October 2, 2018
