David R. Sands
Articles by David R. Sands
Moon Jae-in claims win in South Korean presidential vote as rivals concede
Liberal human rights lawyer Moon Jae-in looked set to end a decade of conservative dominance in South Korea as his two main rivals conceded with the votes still being counted in Tuesday's snap presidential election. Published May 9, 2017
Power play: A history of the world in the chessboard’s 64 squares
There's a doctoral dissertation to be written on the correlation between chess mastery and political supremacy. Published May 2, 2017
For America’s busy chess stars, no rest for the weary
Time was when the world's greatest players could go for a good long spell without doing battle against their peers. Elite events, where the entire field consisted of the best of the best, tended to be held months, even years apart, taking on legendary status in shorthand like Hastings 1895, New York 1924 or Moscow 1935. Published April 25, 2017
Arthur Bisguier, a tireless ambassador for chess, dies at 87
American chess lost one of the good guys with the passing of GM Arthur Bisguier at the age of 87 on April 5. Published April 18, 2017
Wesley So, Sabina-Francesca Foisor emerge as champions in unpredictable U.S. chess title fight
With his top rivals falling by the wayside, GM Wesley So held off an unexpected challenge to claim his first U.S. national championship Monday at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis. Published April 11, 2017
GM Wesley So captures first U.S. chess championship in tense playoff
With his top rivals falling by the wayside, GM Wesley So held off an unexpected challenger to claim his first U.S. national championship Monday at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis. Published April 10, 2017
Iran sees ‘cover-up,’ ‘bogus allegations’ in U.S. missile strike against ally Syria
Despite Iran's own history as the victim of a mass chemical gas attack by Saddam Hussein in the 1980s, top officials in Tehran on Friday condemned President Trump's punitive missile strike against Syria over its suspected use of chemical weapons against the regime's enemies, accusing Washington of hypocrisy and deception. Published April 7, 2017
Iran condemns chemical attack but won’t blame Syrian ally Assad
In its first official comment on the suspected chemical attack on rebel-held territory in Syria Tuesday that killed more than 100 people, Iran strongly condemned the strike but refused to blame its ally, Syrian President Bashar Assad. Published April 5, 2017
Juan Carlos Pinzon, Colombian ambassador, firm on peace with FARC, war on coca
NEWSMAKER INTERVIEW: A surge in coca production has cast a shadow over the peace process, but Colombia remains committed to implementing a deal with leftist FARC guerrillas to end a half-century of civil war, Colombian Ambassador Juan Carlos Pinzon said in an interview Monday. Published April 4, 2017
Red-hot Wesley So sets the pace in early rounds of U.S. chess title race
So young. So talented. So successful. That pretty much sums up the recent record of the 23-year-old Filipino-born U.S. GM Wesley So, who has been perhaps the world's most successful tournament player of the past year. He's looking to extend that run -- and an unbeaten streak that has now reached nearly 60 games -- at the 2017 U.S. championship tournament at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis. Published April 4, 2017
Russian Culture Ministry idles ‘Fast and Furious 8’ in favor of government-backed cosmonaut flick
The Russian Culture Ministry has reportedly tapped the brakes on the release of the latest installment of Hollywood's "The Fast and the Furious" mega-franchise to give a government-backed movie about cosmonauts a clear lane at the box office. Published March 28, 2017
Webster University defines excellence with fifth straight college chess championship
Which is better -- the College Chess Final Four or its pretentious basketball rival? Published March 28, 2017
Walter Shipman, a gentlemanly amateur with a chess pro’s talent
Walter Shipman, one of the last great amateurs from the great postwar generation of American chess, died last month at the age of 87 following a long illness. Published March 24, 2017
U.S. Navy makes first port of call to Myanmar since World War II
A U.S. Navy vessel has made the first official port of call to Myanmar, formerly Burma, in seven decades, U.S. officials said Tuesday. Published March 21, 2017
Crimea gambles on gamblers to ease isolation
What happens in Crimea stays in Crimea, if top officials of the Black Sea peninsula now claimed by Russia has anything to say about it. Published March 21, 2017
Blondes beat brunettes, China bests India in chess rivalries
Insert brunette joke here. It may not settle the argument, but consider it an interesting data point: A team of blondes defeated a team of brunettes in a blitz match last week in Moscow to mark International Women's Day. Published March 15, 2017
Brains at the board: Blondes defeat brunettes in chess grudge match
Insert brunette joke here. It may not settle the argument, but consider it an interesting data point: A team of blondes defeated a team of brunettes in a "friendly" team chess match last week in Moscow to mark International Women's Day. Published March 13, 2017
China: U.S. media biased for Hillary Clinton
It may be unanimous: China has officially declared that the U.S. media were in the tank for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. Published March 9, 2017
The ‘other Lasker’ finally punches ticket to U.S. Chess Hall of Fame
He was an easy man to overlook, both because of his diminutive stature and because he happened to share a first initial and last name with one of the greatest chess players to ever play the game. Published March 7, 2017
China’s Tan Zhongyi wins women’s world chess title in Tehran
Continuing a long string of dominance by China's women, WGM Tan Zhongyi defeated Ukrainian GM Anna Muzychuk in the final match to claim the FIDE women's world chess championship knockout tournament in Tehran Friday. The upset win makes Tan the fifth Chinese woman to hold the women's title since GM Xie Jun ended a long period of Russian and Georgian dominance by taking the title in 1991. Published March 3, 2017
