FM James Canty (2158)
vs GM Ehsan Ghaemmaghami (2511)
2022 US Masters
Round 1
- e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. g4 h6 7. h4 Nc6 8. Nxc6 bxc6 9. Qf3 Rb8 10. b3 d5 11. exd5 exd5 12. g5 Ng4 13. Bf4 Bd6 14. O-O-O O-O 15. Qg3 Bxf4+ 16. Qxf4 Qb6 17. gxh6 Qxf2 18. h7+ Kh8 19. Qxb8 Ne3 20. Bd3 Nxd1 21. Rxd1 Qc5 22. Ne2 1-0
https://live.followchess.com/#!us-masters-2022/19829551
In the very first round of the US Masters FM James Canty set the tone for the tournament by defeating Iranian Grandmaster Ehsan Ghaem Maghami, playing out of California these daze, after the GM blundered horribly. It is not often we Chess fans see a GM go down hard, like rot-gut whiskey. After move five it was a B40 Sicilian, Anderssen variation. 5…d6 turned the opening into a B80 Sicilian, Scheveningen variation. 6. g4 made it a B81 Sicilian, Scheveningen, Keres attack. The eighth move, 8. Nxc6, has only six examples showing at 365Chess.com. According to the Fish the best move in the position is 8. Rg1. 9 Rb8 is not the recommended move, which is 9 d5. Canty’s 10 b3 was lame. He should have asked his illustrious GM opponent a question with 10 g5!. Canty’s next move, 11. exd5, was given a ?! by the Stockfish program at Lichess.com, with good reason, as it gave an advantage to black. After 12. g5 the GM returned the favor when playing the weak 12…Ng4. Canty should have played 12 gxh6, but chose to attack the undefended Rook with 12 Bf4. The GM chose to black with 12…Bd6, but SF computes 12…Rb4 as best. The Stockfish program agrees with the next few moves, until the GM helps his opponent by taking the Bishop with 15…Bxf4+ when he should have EXAMINED ALL CHECKS and played 15…Ba3, at least according to the exponentially rated program know as Stockfish. Then we come to 16…Qb6, which is given a dubious ?! distinction, as the program would play 16…Rb7, expecting 17. gxh6. But here’s the deal…there is a line from the Bishop on c8 that stops at e6. So which move is best? After the move played in the game Canty decided to play 17. gxh6?! SF preferred 17. Rd4. By this point I had become fascinated with the game, wondering what would come next. This was the position:
It was at this point the Grandmaster played a move that would not have been played if the GM had simply “examined all checks.” I realize there may be more currently living “Grandmasters” today than all previous GMs combined, which has REALLY cheapened the title, but still it is almost unbelievable any GM would play the move 17…Qxf2??, which is given not one, but two question marks for a reason. The “GM” hung around a few move moves, probably in a state of shock, before giving up the ghost, or maybe to make it until move twenty so it would not look as bad as it appeared. The GM finished with six points, half a point out of chump change. FM Canty only scored 3 1/2 points, but scored far more points in “entertainment value,” as far as I am concerned, because each and every one of his games during the event were thoroughly enjoyed.
Lucas Beaudry vs Mihnea Voloaca (2071)
Event: CAN-ch U18
Site: Montreal Date: ??/??/2001
Round: 1
ECO: B81 Sicilian, Scheveningen, Keres attack
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.g4 h6 7.h4 Nc6 8.Nxc6 bxc6 9.Qf3 Rb8 10.g5 hxg5 11.hxg5 Rxh1 12.Qxh1 Nd7 13.Bc4 Rb4 14.Bb3 Nc5 15.Be3 Qa5 16.O-O-O g6 17.Qh8 Nxb3+ 18.cxb3 Qc7 19.e5 Bd7 20.Rxd6 c5 21.Rxd7 Kxd7 22.Qxf8 Qxe5 23.Qxf7+ Kc6 24.Qxa7 Rg4 25.Qa6+ Kc7 26.Nb5+ Kd7 27.Qb7+ Kd8 28.Qb6+ Kd7 29.Qb7+ Kd8 30.Qh1 Kc8 31.Qc6+ Kd8 32.Qd6+ Qxd6 33.Nxd6 Kc7 34.Nc4 Rg1+ 35.Kc2 Ra1 36.a4 Rg1 37.Ne5 1-0
https://www.365chess.com/game.php?back=1&gid=359273&m=19
Armchair Warrior 