15. Irina Krush v Damon Macleod (2009)

Excuse me for the easy joke - but Irina Krush - does crush. 

The 8 time US Women's Champion and (currently) the only woman to earn a Grandmaster Title while playing for the United States,
Irina is in a league of her own. 

Born in Odessa, USSR (Ukraine today), she learned to play chess and migrated to Brooklyn when she was 5. 

She became the youngest female to win the US Women's Championship at the age of 14 in 1998. 
The following year, she was one of the players who created the moves to be voted on in the 1999 match 'Kasparov v the World'. 
She has played on the Women's US National Team for the Chess Olympiad since 1998 (twelve straight cycles). 
She was also the first American woman to earn the International Master title at age 16 and her Grandmaster Title at age 30. 
Nearly 10 years after she won the Women's US Championship she won it in 2007, 2010, 2012-2015, 2020, and most recently reaching an Armageddon game in 2022. 

Consistently at the top of the US Women's ratings, Irina also writes for US Chess, has created video courses, and occassionally gives chess lectures. 

In today's game, we are traveling back to 2009 in Round 1 of the Canadian Open - 

Irina Krush vs Damon Macleod

Now if we're ready, let's begin. 

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8 Kxd8 9. Nc3 Ke8 10. h3 h5 11. Ne4 c512. Rd1 b6 13. Nc3 Bb7 14. Nd5 Rc8 15. Bg5 Ne7 16. c4 Nxd517. cxd5 Kd7 18. e6 fxe6 19. Ne5 Ke8 20. dxe6 Bd6 21. Nf7 Rf822. Rxd6 1-0

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1547981

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irina_Krush

http://cassidynoble.com/