David R. Sands
Articles by David R. Sands
In key chess win, it’s thanks for the memories
Been there. Seen that. Queened the pawn. Bobby Fischer famously observed the first essential for a great player is a "good memory," and he wasn't just referring to the ability to recall reams of opening subvariations. Published November 14, 2017
Jeb Bush joins GOP establishment chorus calling on Roy Moore to step down
Former Florida Gov. and failed GOP presidential contender Jeb Bush became the latest prominent establishment Republican to call on Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore to drop out of the race over reports that he had a sexual encounter with an underage girl nearly four decades ago. Published November 13, 2017
Russian retaliation over RT curbs could hit all foreign media
Russian anger over a U.S. demand that its state-owned RT news network formally register as a foreign agent could lead to a far greater retaliation, hitting both American and other international news outlets reporting in Russia. Published November 13, 2017
Boden’s bishops claim another victim at European team chess tourney
Many people don't realize you can obtain chess immortality -- or at least notoriety -- without putting in the hard work to achieve chess mastery. And I don't just mean by writing your own column. Published November 7, 2017
Jerome Powell nominated by Trump to replace Yellen as Federal Reserve chief
The disrupter in chief decided to stay very much inside the box with one of his biggest economic appointments as President Trump confirmed Thursday that he was nominating Federal Reserve insider and monetary moderate Jerome Powell as the next chairman of the nation's central bank. Published November 2, 2017
Tricks lead to chess treats as lost souls rise from the dead
In this week of Halloween and All Souls' Day, we honor those who use tricks to get treats, who come back from the dead to save a lost position. Published October 31, 2017
Russian government, state-backed network slam Twitter ad ban, vow revenge
Russia's Foreign Ministry and a Kremlin-funded news network sharply criticized a decision Thursday by social media site Twitter to block all advertising from the global messaging site. Published October 26, 2017
Iran’s loss is America’s gain in Dorsa Derakhshani’s headscarf fight
Chess is a global game, and top players deciding to switch their national federation is not uncommon. At least six of the top-rated players in the U.S., including No. 1 GM Fabiano Caruana (Italy) and No. 2 GM Wesley So (Philippines), once competed under a flag other than the Stars and Stripes. Published October 24, 2017
35th Anniversary: Creating ‘America’s Newspaper’
Starting a newspaper "is worth doing, and we make our first public appearance with a heady sense that we can do it. Our confidence rests in part on the zest and skills of the staff we have recruited. Just as importantly, it rests on the need we find expressed all over Washington for a new perspective on local, national and world events." Published October 19, 2017
Donald Trump says world is adjusting to his leadership
President Trump acknowledged Tuesday that some countries were "a little bit nervous" when he took office, but they are now accepting his leadership in foreign affairs. Published October 17, 2017
‘Father Bill’ Lombardy, Bobby Fischer’s great contemporary, dies at 79
He was the greatest chess-playing Catholic priest since Ruy Lopez but only the second-greatest player in his own hometown, but we still honor the legacy of GM William Lombardy, who passed away from a suspected heart attack last week at the age of 79. Published October 17, 2017
James Tarjan, unretired, shines at Isle of Man event
Our story last week on ex-world champ Garry Kasparov coming briefly out of retirement this year got us to thinking about other players who took long "vacations" from the game only to come back and enjoy fresh success. Published October 10, 2017
Garry Kasparov on the Hill to honor U.S. Chess Center
We start with a world exclusive today -- a brand new, unpublished Garry Kasparov game that no other column, website or blogger can offer. I say that with some certainty since I was the only one in the room writing down the moves. Published October 3, 2017
James Harkins, Cleveland’s chess ‘Hawk,’ dies at the age of 87
Minerva, Kentucky-born Jackson Showalter was the "Kentucky Lion." Bostonians still raise a glass of Sam Adams to the memory of local-boy-made-good Harry Nelson Pillsbury. Chess fans in New Orleans honor the memory of Paul Morphy, the nation's first great player, and Jude Acers, a talented and colorful master still going strong taking on all challengers from his gazebo in the French Quarter at the age of 73. Published September 26, 2017
Angling for a win — the chess player as fisherman
Google "chess and fishing" and you get, well, not a whole heckuva a lot. Both are nonaerobic activities that entail a lot of waiting around, but athletically inclined grandmasters tend to favor tennis or soccer. "Fish" was a term of derision for weaker players favored by Bobby Fischer and other players of his era. There is something called the "Fishing Pole Trap" in the Ruy Lopez that looks nothing like a fishing pole. Published September 19, 2017
Top seeds continue to fall in FIDE’s World Cup chess cage matches
The biggest crapshoot in chess is living up to its reputation. The FIDE World Cup, a 128-player free-for-all where top grandmasters play two-game elimination matches, is the most unpredictable format in the game. Published September 14, 2017
Timur Gareyev rebounds to rule the Atlantic in chess
Reader Ken Thomas was a little exercised over our characterization of how things went down at last month's 49th annual Atlantic Open in Crystal City, and I'd like to state for the record here no disrespect was intended. Published September 6, 2017
Donald Trump retaliates by closing Russian diplomatic outposts in U.S.
The Trump administration ordered Russia to close diplomatic offices in San Francisco, New York and Washington in retaliation for Moscow throwing U.S. diplomats out of Russia, the State Department announced Thursday. Published August 31, 2017
‘Swiss Gambit’ pays off for winners in local chess events
Strictly speaking, the Swiss Gambit is a rare offshoot of Bird's Opening (1. f4 f5 2. e4!?), but it's the other "Swiss Gambit" that has helped many a player to the winner's circle. Published August 29, 2017
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave captures strong Sinquefield Cup in chess
VL was the MVP in St. Louis. With the best result of his career, French GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave topped a world-class field to win the 5th Sinquefield Cup, with an undefeated score of 6-3 at the St. Louis Chess Club and Scholastic Center. Published August 15, 2017
