The Adult Improver Series returns with the remarkable story of FM Nick Matta, a five-time Louisiana State Champion who made one of the most unusual rating climbs in recent memory. Nick returned to tournament chess as a college freshman and went from roughly 1400 to 2400 USCF over the next decade. In our conversation, he breaks down the habits and mindset shifts that fueled that rise, including:
How complete immersion in chess during his college years accelerated his progress
Why the mental game became increasingly important as he climbed the rating ladder
The books, videos, and tools that helped him at each stage
Nick’s improvement in his 20s may be rare, but his insights are applicable to players of a wide range of levels. Timestamps of topics discussed are below.
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03:00 – Intro & Announcements
FInd out more about the teaching job opportunity at IS 318 here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/796878173716685/posts/32637324772578611/
Join the Perpetual Chess discord here!
06:00 – Who Is FM Nick Matta?
Mentioned
Nick was also interviewed in episode 450- Hikaru in Louisiana
Check out Nick’s USCF Rating History here:
https://www.uschess.org/datapage/ratings_graph.php?memid=12845401
His rapid rise from 1480 → 2390 and return to chess after Katrina.
Also Mentioned: Pawn Structure Chess by GM Andy Soltis, IM Jeremy Silman’s How to Reassess Your Chess, Pawn Power in Chess
11:30 – How the Improvement Started
Immersion, study habits, book recommendations, and developing a love for feedback.
Mentioned: Kasparov’s My Story with GM James Plaskett
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeEY66T0q80
GM Melih Khachiyan’s Evaluation and Planning Series on Chess.com
https://www.chess.com/video/player/evaluation-and-planning---part-1
26:00 – Openings, Training, and Evolution
Why he constantly changed openings, how his training shifted as he reached master level, and learning from top coaches.
Mentioned: GM Gregory Kaidanov, IM John Bartholomew, GM Jacob Aagaard’s Thinking Inside the Box
35:00 – Time Trouble & Mental Game Breakthroughs
Aagaard’s tough feedback, decision-making, cold-plunge training, meditation, and building emotional resilience.
Mentioned: Karpov in a cold plunge:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAhtMKhvG1A
59:00 – Coaching, Pursuing the IM Title & Final Advice
Balancing coaching with personal ambition, whether he’ll chase the IM title, and his distilled guidance for adult improvers.
1:15:00- Thanks to Nick for joining me! Here is how to reach him:
Lichess coaches page:
https://lichess.org/coach/nickmatta
Chess.com coaches page:
https://www.chess.com/member/nickmatta
Email-
Nickmatta13 at gmail.com