David R. Sands
Articles by David R. Sands
Milingo: Rev. Moon’s legacy is in religious unity
Unification Church founder Rev. Sun Myung Moon's work on behalf of harmony among the world's great faiths will be among his most lasting achievements, Emmanuel Milingo, the onetime Zambian Catholic archbishop defrocked for taking a wife in a ceremony presided over by Rev. Moon in 2001, said in an interview Thursday. Published September 13, 2012
Unification Church is poised for new era, officials say
The Unification Church is strongly positioned to preserve and expand both its global spiritual outreach and its commercial holdings as tens of thousands of believers gather to say a final goodbye to founder Rev. Sun Myung Moon, two top church officials said this week. Published September 12, 2012
SANDS: Armenia edges Russian to claim Olympiad gold in chess
The Little Country That Could did it again as tiny Armenia on Sunday won its third gold medal in the past four years, nipping mighty Russia on tiebreaks after the two chess powerhouses finished 9-1-1 at the 40th biennial Olympiad in Istanbul. Published September 11, 2012
Democrats’ rhetoric driven by auto bailout
Democrats here clearly think they have a political winner in President Obama's decision to bail out the American auto industry, but numbers on the bailout's cost released this week suggest that the move could pose some political potholes for both presidential campaigns this fall. Published September 6, 2012
Obama scrubs stadium speech over weather concerns
There will be no replay of Denver 2008 as organizers of the Democratic National Convention announced Wednesday that President Obama's planned outdoor acceptance speech at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., has been moved indoors because of threatening rain in the forecast. Published September 5, 2012
SANDS: Young Hua schools his elders on way to chess victory
He’s an excellent student, has played a piano recital at Carnegie Hall and just scored an unexpected triumph in one of Washington’s signature chess tournaments. It will be interesting to see what David Hua will achieve when he’s old enough to drive. Published September 4, 2012
SANDS: Hua holds on to score upset in chess Atlantic Open
Congratulations to New Jersey high schooler David Hua, who outran of a pack of pursuers to win this weekend's 44th Atlantic Open premier section. Published August 28, 2012
Arpaio pulls in $7.5 million for re-election bid
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, seeking re-election to his sixth term as the chief law enforcement officer in Phoenix, has raised more than $7.5 million in campaign contributions, including more than $600,000 over the past two months. Published August 22, 2012
SANDS: Chess world mourns loss of Serbian great Gligoric
The game lost a true superstar last week with the death of Serbian GM Svatozar Gligoric at the age of 89. Published August 20, 2012
SANDS: Hoyos paces the field to capture chess U.S. Open
Mexican national champion Manuel Leon Hoyos can add a major north-of-the-border title to his resume after winning the 113th U.S. Open Sunday in Vancouver, Wash., in a playoff over veteran Illinois GM Dmitry Gurevich and surprising California FM John Daniel Bryant. All three finished at 8-1, with Bryant reeling off five straight wins to close out the tournament and claim a share of first. Published August 14, 2012
SANDS: Kamsky captures first Washington International chess tourney
The inaugural Washington International produced a worthy winner as former U.S. national champion Gata Kamsky triumphed over a strong field in the ambitious nine-round open event sponsored by the Maryland Chess Federation. Kamsky, a onetime candidate in the world championship cycle, was undefeated at 7-2 and won $5,000 for his efforts. Published August 7, 2012
SANDS: Bodek 1st among equals in U.S. Cadet chess tourney
New Rochelle, N.Y., 10th-grader Michael Bodek claimed bragging rights as a quartet of young stars shared first place in the U.S. Cadet Championship invitational tournament for the nation’s top players younger than 16, an event that returned to the Washington area for the first time in more than a quarter-century. Published July 31, 2012
SANDS: Future is bright for U.S. chess as prospects shine
The future is now — right now — for American chess, as New York IM Marc Arnold has claimed his first U.S. Junior title, and the U.S. Cadet Championship, featuring the country’s top players younger than 16 years old, is wrapping up in Rockville. Published July 24, 2012
Politics takes a back seat as Obama, Boehner appeal for unity after shooting
Politics was put aside for a day as President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner both called for the nation to come together in the wake of the Colorado movie theater shooting Friday that took the lives of 12 people and wounded dozens more. Published July 21, 2012
SANDS: Fiercest fights often play out far from top boards
Some of the fiercest competition at your typical chess tournament can be found far from the top boards. Published July 17, 2012
SANDS: Shabalov, Sokolov are on top of the World
Holding off a battalion of younger challengers, a pair of well-seasoned veterans secured the top places on the chess leaderboard at the 40th World Open, which wrapped up Sunday at its traditional home in Philadelphia. Published July 10, 2012
SANDS: U.S. Chess Center, founder to be honored
Congratulations to the U.S. Chess Center and its founder, David Mehler, who will be honored for their work with area youths at the U.S. Chess Federation 2012 annual awards next month in Vancouver, Wash. Published July 3, 2012
SANDS: National Open kicks off summer rush of chess tournaments
While much of the rest of the world is checking out vacation schedules and beach condo rental rates, the U.S. chess world is gearing up for perhaps its busiest stretch of the year, with tournaments galore in the coming days to keep a columnist busy. Published June 26, 2012
SANDS: Maryland hosts string of top chess events in July
For two weeks and two days starting late next month, the Rockville Hilton will be the chess epicenter of the country as Maryland Chess Association officials plan five major events in the space of 16 days, including a strong open tournament featuring former U.S. champion Gata Kamsky and Potomac-based former world senior champ GM Larry Kaufman. Published June 19, 2012
SANDS: Top GMs mix it up in Moscow in spirit of Tal
Mikhail Tal, the great Soviet world champion, rarely lacked the will or the inclination to mix it up, but the same thing cannot always be said of his elite peers. Published June 12, 2012
