David R. Sands
Articles by David R. Sands
Love match: Husband-wife tandem take Polish national titles in chess
June is the month of weddings and anniversaries, so it's appropriate that we start with a romance that has found success at home and at the chessboard. Published June 11, 2024
Ding Liren’s woes mount with shaky showing at Norway Chess tournament
The Ding Dilemma deepens. Chinese world champion GM Ding Liren, suffering from a combination of ill health, inactivity and an inexplicable collapse of confidence at the board, came to the 12th Norway Chess tournament now underway in Stavanger with a modest goal: "not to finish in last place." That may have been too ambitious. Published June 4, 2024
France nixes plans to include Russia in 80th anniversary D-Day celebrations next week
The French government has ordered an about-face and won't invite Russia to participate in ceremonies next week marking the 80th anniversary of the World War II D-Day landings in Normandy. Published May 31, 2024
Ding Liren, a diffident chess champ, faces difficult test in Norway
In a club that has admitted only 17 officially recognized members over the past 150 years or so, one would think that being the world chess champion would come with a little bit of justified hubris. But reigning Chinese world champion Ding Liren, who must defend the title he won in 2023 by the end of the year against young Indian phenom GM Dommaraju Gukesh, is proving an exception to the rule. Published May 28, 2024
Some teachable moments from some notable chess coaches
Morphy's first chess teacher was his uncle -- a weak player -- and Capablanca picked up the game from his father -- who was likely even worse, but modern players from Bobby Fischer on were far more likely to rely on a competent and inspiring coach to set them on the path to greatness. Published May 21, 2024
Beyond the Candidates: Checking out the buzz in Bishkek
Today's first game, played at the recent Kyrgyzstan National Championship, helped winner IM Nikita Khoroshev take the national crown in the 12-player round-robin event in Bishkek earlier this month. Published May 14, 2024
Israel moves toward a full assault on Rafah despite increased pressure from the U.S., others
Frantic U.S. and international efforts to prevent a full-scale Israeli assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah appeared to be making little headway as Israel Defense Forces pressed forward and thousands more Palestinian civilians attempted to flee the besieged city. Published May 12, 2024
Ominous signs emerge as Israel battles Hamas in Rafah, renewed fighting in northern area
Frantic U.S. and international efforts to prevent a full-scale Israeli assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah appeared to be making little headway as Israeli forces continued advancing and thousands more Palestinian civilians attempted to flee the besieged city. Published May 12, 2024
‘Limited’ Israeli incursion into Rafah raises fresh doubts about Hamas cease-fire deal
Israeli troops rolled into Rafah Tuesday in what authorities said was a limited operation to eliminate the Hamas terror infrastructure in the eastern section of the besieged, beleaguered city on the southern Gaza Strip. Published May 7, 2024
Clash of the giants: At 100, New York 1924 still casts a spell
With modern grandmasters routinely battling each other over the board multiple times every year, it may be hard for chess devotees today to conceive of the excitement generated by the great New York Tournament of 1924, held 100 years ago this year at the Almanac Hotel at 71st Street and Broadway. Published May 7, 2024
Hamas says it accepts cease-fire proposal to end fighting in Gaza; Israel weighs options
The Palestinian militant group Hamas said Monday that it had agreed to a cease-fire brokered by Egypt and Qatar that aims to end the 7-month-old war with Israel. The insurgent group announced in a statement that the head of its political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, signaled to mediators that it would accept the proposal. Published May 6, 2024
Gukesh’s win enhances Chennai’s stature as the hot city of chess
The world may just be beginning to appreciate the talent and potential of 17-year-old Indian GM Dommaraju Gukesh, who became the youngest player ever to qualify for a world title match, but his hometown of Chennai has long been known as a cradle of chess champs. Published April 30, 2024
American heartbreak as Gukesh, Tan conquer the Candidates Tournaments
A teen superstar from India and an ex-world champ looking for redemption were the big winners at FIDE's Open and Women's Candidates Tournaments that wrapped up Sunday in Toronto, while two of America's biggest stars were left to ponder what might have been. Published April 23, 2024
Candidates battle to the end in Toronto with chess title shot on the line
The fields are rounding the final turn at both the FIDE World Championship Candidates Tournament and the FIDE Women's World Championship Candidates Tournament now being played in Toronto, and it's still anybody's race. Published April 16, 2024
Nakamura rocked by early loss as Candidates battle in Toronto
American GM Hikaru Nakamura picked a bad time to play a bad game. Nakamura came into the Candidates riding a 47-game unbeaten streak at classical time controls. But after an exciting Round 1 draw with Caruana, he saw that streak come crashing to a halt in Round 2 against GM Santosh Vidit, one of three Indian GMs making their debut in this Candidates cycle. Published April 9, 2024
Iran says Israeli embassies could be targeted after Syria consulate attack
Iran stepped up its threats to avenge a suspected Israeli airstrike last week that killed a number of senior commanders, warning Sunday that Israeli diplomatic posts around the world are now "legitimate" targets for a retaliatory attack. Published April 7, 2024
Biden tells Netanyahu humanitarian situation in Gaza ‘unacceptable’
President Biden delivered a blunt message Thursday to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: America's patience with its ally's campaign against Hamas terrorists in Gaza is not infinite. Published April 4, 2024
Candidates you can get excited about this election year
There are multiple intriguing storylines to pursue as the FIDE Candidates and Women's Candidates tournaments start their clocks this week in Toronto -- the first time the events staged to pick the next challenger for the open and women's world titles will be held in North America. Published April 2, 2024
Singapore sends team to help probe Baltimore bridge disaster; crew dropped anchor just before impact
Singapore maritime officials have dispatched investigators to Baltimore to assist in the probe of a Singapore-flagged cargo ship that lost power and crashed into the port's Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said in a statement. Published March 26, 2024
Lisa Lane, trailblazer for U.S. women’s chess and Sports Illustrated cover girl, dies at 90
Her career was as impressive as it was improbable. Lisa Lane, who passed away Feb. 28 at the age of 90, was a fierce competitor at the chessboard, a two-time U.S. women's champion in 1959 and 1966 and a media sensation in an age when her sex, her drive to succeed and even her attractiveness sometimes seemed to work against her in a way that never burdened her male rivals. Published March 26, 2024
