David R. Sands
Articles by David R. Sands
SANDS: Kamsky pulls surprise in world title hunt
Just days after his grueling repeat triumph in the U.S. national championships, Brooklyn GM Gata Kamsky has upset former world champion Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria to advance to the semifinal round at the FIDE candidates' matches under way in Kazan, Russia. The survivor of the eight-grandmaster scramble later this month qualifies for a date with reigning world champion Viswanathan Anand in a 12-game title match in the first half of 2012. Published May 10, 2011
SANDS: Familiar faces capture national, women’s titles
There were some upstart contenders banging on the door, but in the end, it was a pair of familiar names at the top of the wall chart at the U.S. national and women's championships, which finished up last week at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis. Published May 3, 2011
SANDS: Kamsky first to land spot in men’s final
New York GM Gata Kamsky, the reigning national champion, was the first through to this year's U.S. Championship final, defeating young challenger GM-elect Sam Shankland 1 1/2- 1/2 in their semifinal match over the weekend at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis. Published April 26, 2011
SANDS: GM-elect Shankland sets pace in St. Louis
The action already is intense at the 2011 U.S. Championship tournament, which kicked off play Friday at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis. Two dozen of the country's top players, including defending champ GM Gata Kamsky, are in the hunt, with a two-game championship match between the two top finishers to be held April 26 and 27. Published April 19, 2011
SANDS: How Texas Tech crashed the party
The first one is always the hardest -- and the sweetest. As we reported last week, Texas Tech is the new king of college chess, dethroning longtime powerhouses University of Texas-Dallas and the University of Maryland-Baltimore County in the college game's Final Four earlier this month in Herndon. Published April 12, 2011
Florida poll offers grim ‘trifecta’ for Obama
A new poll is flashing a major warning sign for President Obama in a state that could prove critical to his 2012 re-election hopes. Published April 7, 2011
SANDS: Texas Tech aces the college final
There weren't really any Cinderellas at this Final Four, but an unexpected invitee did walk away with the glass slipper. Published April 5, 2011
SANDS: Aronian wins third Amber title in 4 years
Armenian GM Levon Aronian has won his third Amber Blindfold/Rapid title in four years, winning the unique dual-format event over a world-class field with a combined score of 15 1/2-6 1/2. Remarkably, in a field that included reigning world champion Viswanathan Anand and two former world champions, Aronian lost only once in 22 games, to former Russian national champ Alexander Grischuk. Published March 29, 2011
SANDS: Kaidanov, Robson claim last title slots
The field is set for next month's 2011 U.S. Championship as veteran GM Gregory Kaidanov and 16-year-old newcomer GM Ray Robson of Florida grabbed the last two spots in the 16-player field. Published March 15, 2011
SANDS: There’s a payoff for amazing moves
It's a story that -- like so many tales told about the great masters of the past -- turns out to be totally bogus. When longtime U.S. champion Frank Marshall played one of the most famous moves in the history of the game, thrusting his queen into a "nest of pawns" to defeat Russian master Stefan Lewitzky in a 1912 game in Breslau, Poland, spectators reportedly were so enthralled that they showered the board with gold coins. Marshall was justly proud of the game but later claimed never to have seen a single one of the gold pieces supposedly left in tribute. Published March 8, 2011
SANDS: Kamsky faces tough road to title
U.S. GM Gata Kamsky has drawn a tough opening assignment in the world championship qualifying matches, which start in May in Kazan, Russia. Organizers at the international chess federation, FIDE, announced last month that Kamsky will play Bulgarian former world champion Veselin Topalov in the quarter-final match for the right to challenge titleholder Viswanathan Anand of India. Published March 2, 2011
SANDS: Hess, 19, thriving on world stage
American chess players seem to have a penchant for spectacular entrances on the international stage. Published February 22, 2011
SANDS: Brilliancy prizes from 100 years ago
Another year, another batch of 100-year anniversaries to celebrate. The year 1911 featured two of the most storied international tournaments in the game's history. In the Spanish resort town of San Sebastian, 22-year-old Cuban Jose Raoul Capablanca made a spectacular debut on the international scene, with a first-place result that set him on the road to the world championship 10 years later. The tournament, which featured virtually all the game's best players, save for reigning German world champ Emanuel Lasker, kicked off exactly 100 years ago Sunday. Published February 15, 2011
SANDS: Adu rolls to victory in Springfield Open
Northern Virginia IM Oladapo Adu added another trophy to his already ample collection, finishing alone in first at the Springfield Open held during the snowy Jan. 29-30 weekend. Published February 9, 2011
Patriot Act reverse surprises House Republicans
The new House Republican leadership faced its first tea party revolt Wednesday evening when the chamber unexpectedly failed to extend key provisions of the USA Patriot Act, the anti-terror law passed in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. Published February 8, 2011
SANDS: Nakamura soars in all-GM play in Wijk
In one of the most impressive performances by an American player in decades, GM Hikaru Nakamura on Sunday won the 73rd Tata Steel Wijk aan Zee premiere section over an all-grandmaster field that included world champion Viswanathan Anand, former world champion Vladimir Kramnik and world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen of Norway. Published February 2, 2011
SANDS: The good, the bad and the ugly at Wijk
It's been the best of chess and the worst of chess at the Tata Steel Tournament, the traditional elite event held each January at the Dutch seaside town of Wijk aan Zee. Published January 25, 2011
SANDS: UMBC’s Erenburg rebounds in Berkeley
The powerhouse University of Maryland-Baltimore County squad did not capture the recent collegiate team chess championship, but GM Sergey Erenburg, UMBC's second board, bounced back with a fine second-place result in the strong Berkeley International, which concluded Jan. 8. Published January 19, 2011
Steele’s departure fortifies GOP strategy for 2012; Priebus elected chair
Wisconsin GOP Chairman Reince Priebus has been elected the new chairman of the Republican National Committee, offering a fresh face and the promise of a new management style for the party as it gears up for the 2012 presidential election cycle. Published January 14, 2011
Priebus has early lead in RNC tally
Wisconsin Republican Party chief Reince Priebus has the early momentum as Republican National Committee members gathered Friday afternoon to choose the party's next chairman. Published January 14, 2011
