Rethinking 'trade while ahead'

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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00:00 – Intro & AnnouncementsFInd out more about the teaching job opportunity at IS 318 here:

1. https://www.facebook.com/groups/796878173716685/posts/32637324772578611/

2. Join the Perpetual Chess discord here!

             https://discord.gg/27AXnaUr

03:00 – Intro & Announcements

Find out more about the teaching job opportunity at IS 318 here:

1. https://www.facebook.com/groups/796878173716685/posts/32637324772578611/

2. Join the Perpetual Chess discord here!

             https://discord.gg/27AXnaUr

06:00 – Who Is FM Nick Matta?

Mentioned

Nick was also interviewed in episode 450- Hikaru in Louisiana

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2025/9/9/ep-450-hikaru-in-louisiana-stories-from-his-surprise-appearance-in-the-louisiana-state-championshipnbsp

 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

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).

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