David R. Sands
Articles by David R. Sands
Greece welcomes China’s investment in port
Panagiotis Kouroumblis, Greece's minister of maritime affairs, has a simple message for those who worry that China's massive investment in the Greek economy and in the port of Piraeus may give Beijing too much influence in Athens: Get in the game or get left behind. Published April 3, 2018
A lot to like, a lot to market in Magnus Carlsen-Fabiano Caruana chess world title match
Both on and off the board, the London organizers of November's world championship title match have to be happy with the outcome of last week's FIDE Candidates Tournament, with American GM Fabiano Caruana breaking through to win the right to take on reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway. Published April 3, 2018
Joaquin Castro gives ‘live’ interviews on CNN, MSNBC at same time
Rep. Joaquin Castro on Monday achieved a degree of media saturation that even President Trump can only dream of, appearing "live" in separate, simultaneous interviews with cable networks MSNBC and CNN. Published April 2, 2018
Russia to expel 60 U.S. diplomats, close St. Petersburg consulate in escalating feud
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced Thursday that 60 U.S. diplomats will be expelled and the U.S. consulate in St. Petersburg closed down in a tit-for-tat response to U.S. sanctions in the wake of a nerve-gas attack on an ex-Russian double agent living in England. Published March 29, 2018
Fabiano Caruana qualifies for world chess title match against Magnus Carlsen
Chess grandmaster Fabiano Caruana will be the first American in decades to play for the world championship title after the winning the candidates tournament outright in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday. Published March 27, 2018
U.S. star Fabiano Caruana earns world chess title match with Carlsen
GM Fabiano Caruana will be the first American in decades to play for the world championship title after the winning the candidates tournament outright in Berlin Tuesday. Published March 27, 2018
British cultural council in Moscow closing after 59 years
The Russian branch of the British Council, the U.K. institution promoting British language and culture in more than 100 countries around the world, is the latest casualty of the clash sparked by the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy who was living in England. Published March 22, 2018
Stumbling start could doom Levon Aronian’s chess title hopes — again
Levon Aronian is one of the most accomplished players of his generation, a national hero after leading tiny Armenia to gold in three Chess Olympiad gold between 2006 and 2012. He's respected by all his peers, has no real weaknesses in his game, and came into 2018 as one of the hottest players on the international circuit. Published March 20, 2018
Tillerson out, conservative think tank targets Trump security aide and ‘enabler’ H.R. McMaster
With Secretary of State Rex Tillerson fired and leaving at the end of the month, a leading conservative national security think tank is saying President Trump's next move should be to show National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster the door as well. Published March 14, 2018
Stephen Goldstein, Rex Tillerson’s spokesman, also canned after statement on State Department firing
The purge at the State Department isn't stopping with Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson. Published March 13, 2018
John Campbell remembered: The Arlington Chess Club’s genial guiding light
John T. Campbell, 91 and one of the game's good guys, was laid to rest with military honors Monday at Quantico National Cemetery, beside his beloved wife and partner, Frances. Published March 13, 2018
Mike Pompeo’s move to State Department likely bad news for Iran deal
President Trump, who cited his differences Tuesday with Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson over the Iranian nuclear deal as one reason he was fired, is set to get a much tougher voice on Tehran with Mike Pompeo, Mr. Tillerson's replacement. Published March 13, 2018
China state media says Trump-Kim meeting vindicates Beijing diplomacy
The state-controlled news website Global Times is urging Chinese citizens to take the stunning news of a meeting between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in stride, saying there is no chance the U.S. will be able to "turn" Pyongyang away from its longtime patron. Published March 9, 2018
Navarro: Trump White House like the New England Patriots
Peter Navarro, President Trump's increasingly influential economic adviser, compared the Trump White House to the NFL's New England Patriots, saying both have managed to have success despite an unusually high rate of employee turnover. Published March 7, 2018
Anatoly Lein, Soviet great-turned-U.S. star, dies at 86
Anatoly Lein, the Leningrad-born grandmaster who was one of the last living members of the wave of Soviet refugees who transformed the U.S. chess landscape in the 1970s and 1980s, died March 1 at the age of 86 at his home outside Cleveland. Published March 7, 2018
Russia says soccer fans can bring medical marijuana to 2018 World Cup
The grass won't be just on the pitch when soccer's World Cup kicks off in Russia later this year. Published February 28, 2018
Bill Goichberg organizes his way to U.S. Chess Hall of Fame
The 2018 class of inductees into the St. Louis-based World and U.S. Chess Hall of Fame contains some worthy if not particularly unexpected choices. Published February 27, 2018
Failing Chess 101 can be a royal pain for the king
When it comes to chess openings, there are a few basic must-dos that even the rankest beginner understands: Develop the pieces. Control the center. Protect the king. But sometimes, it seems, even the very best players forget -- with predictably dire consequences. Published February 20, 2018
For Mardi Gras, a celebration of Paul Morphy, New Orleans’ finest
It's Mardi Gras, and we're taking a little mental vacation down to the Big Easy to check out the chess scene. Published February 13, 2018
On Gibraltar, Hikaru Nakamura is a Rock star
He may never have trashed a hotel room or shredded his way through a 35-minute guitar solo (as far as we know), but make no mistake -- GM Hikaru Nakamura is a Rock star. Published February 6, 2018
