David R. Sands

The Hot Girl Summer of 2025 is giving way to the Sizzling Chess Summer of 2026, at least for fans of the Royal Game here in the DMV.

Next week, we’ll explore how great the chess dads are, but we thought we’d beat the pre-Father’s Day rush with a couple of superb recent performances from the ladies.

Like many of you, I suspect, I learned how to play chess as a young boy from my father.

It’s said you get only one chance to make a first impression, and two promising young American chess talents badly botched their audition.

We’ve had nearly 250 years of trying, but it’s still hard to pin down an identifiable “American” style of chess.

Let’s hope the World Cup finale comes close to matching the drama of the finale of the World Open.

Early reports say the District of Columbia’s tourism sector had a banner Fourth of July to mark the nation’s 250th birthday, and the world’s chess players certainly did their part.

It’s always nice to see chess have a moment in the larger culture, especially a moment not tied to the latest cheating scandal or geopolitical standoff.

It’s been a bull market for laurel leaves this summer, as the country crowned a quartet of new U.S. champions in recent days.

In American chess this summer, the road to renown runs through Rockville, Maryland.