Y’all already know how we do — when somebody from Detroit is making noise, we tap in. Today it’s James Canty III, better known as GMCanty — a Detroit-based FIDE Master, Chess.com commentator, and one of the most exciting chess streamers in the game right now, with over 64,000 followers on Twitch and counting.
The man’s resume speaks for itself. Last fall he flew out to Loznica, Serbia and won the Super Heavyweight Chessboxing World Championship, beating Russia’s Evgenii Isaev in the final. Chess AND boxing on the same night — that’s a different kind of built.
And 2026 has been nothing but momentum. Chessable featured him in their Coach’s Corner series back in April, and this summer he sat across the board from the best in the world — a 5-minute-to-1-minute odds blitz battle against GM Hikaru Nakamura, right here in downtown Detroit at Monroe Street Midway. He also covered the Las Vegas Chess Festival live on stream, peaking over 1,600 viewers.
His streams are pure energy — aggressive speedruns, tournament breakdowns, real coaching for real players. If you love watching somebody rep the city at the highest level, this is your guy.
Tap in with him on Twitch: https://twitch.tv/gmcanty
And on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JamesCantyIII
Read the full story:
– Chess.com on his chessboxing world title: https://www.chess.com/news/view/james-canty-chessboxing-world-champion
– Chessable’s Coach’s Corner feature: https://www.chess.com/blog/Chessable/coachs-corner-james-canty
– Chessterra on the Nakamura Detroit showdown: https://chessterra.com/the-jedi-master-vs-the-grandmaster/
Tap in. — LORDZ
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