Speaker Profile

James Canty III is an American FIDE master, streamer, and entrepreneur. He is also a coach, commentator, and content creator for Chess.com.

Canty learned to play chess when he was eight years old after his father taught him the rules. Canty fell in love with the game and decided to join his school's chess club. At that time, he studied at Bates Academy, a public school in Detroit for gifted children. There, he met his first coach, the late Harold Steen—a Detroit City Chess Club Hall of Famer. Canty became a national master at 17 after winning the first Harold Steen Memorial Cup, which happened a year after his coach passed away. Canty quickly became a legend in Detroit's chess scene after having such a meteoric rise. He continues to study chess and is chasing the international master and grandmaster titles. Canty reached his peak FIDE rating of 2353 in 2015 and his peak USCF rating of 2317 in 2019.

Canty is an up-and-coming chess streamer and YouTuber who has gained his followers' hearts because of his informative and entertaining content. On his Twitch channel, Canty has over 23,000 followers (as of February 2022). His fans can regularly see the "Jedi Master" (as Canty calls himself) playing chess, analyzing games, and studying. Canty's YouTube channel has more than 11,800 subscribers (as of February 2022). On it, Canty shares educational chess videos about openings and game analyses, as well as parts of his own training to become a GM.

For Chess.com, Canty regularly creates videos analyzing games and moves by top players. Canty also has authored an exclusive lesson for Chess.com where he breaks down the best game he has played. Facing the strong IM Roberto Martin Del-Campo, Canty sacrificed a rook and a queen to deliver a beautiful checkmate in this fantastic game.