Matt Walton: The Tenacious Tactician
Since first dipping his toes into the chess waters back in 2009 with a respectable daily rating hovering around 1150, Matt Walton has shown an enduring passion for the 64 squares and all their intricacies. Over the years, Matt’s journey has been anything but boring—spiced with dramatic comebacks, occasional tilt moments (only 13%, surprisingly low for most humans), and a stubborn refusal to throw in the towel early, boasting an early resignation rate just shy of 1.5%.
Known among peers and opponents for his resilience, Matt has an impressive 100% win rate after losing a piece. Legend has it, if you capture his pawn, you better be ready for a fight because Matt’s comeback game is nothing short of heroic, with a 65% rate of clawing back from behind. Whether it’s daily, blitz, or rapid, Matt’s chess battles are thoughtfully paced, winning on average after 52 moves and losing after about 48—proof that he doesn't rush the showdown.
Matt’s opening repertoire reads like a modern adventure book. He’s mastered the Sicilian Defense with a solid 68% win rate in daily games and even reached over 70% success with the King's Pawn Opening King's Knight Variation, proving he enjoys both classic and spicy lines. Fun fact: his favorite opening at blitz seems to be the Queen's Pawn Opening Accelerated London System, where he boasts a perfect 100% win rate (though after just a handful of games—don't tell him we said “just a handful”!).
His daily playstyle shows a pronounced preference for playing with White pieces, winning almost 58% of those games compared to about 43% as Black. Not to mention, Matt seems to thrive under the evening lights, hitting his highest win streak (~83% wins) in the crucial 13:00 hour and keeping the board warm well into the night with a strong 57% win rate at 23:00.
When not exhausting his opponents with strategy and grit, Matt adapts to all time controls, dabbling from rapid to bullet chess. Although bullet is a newer and slightly thornier territory (with a modest 0% win record so far in 2024), the tenacity remains unwavering.
Off the board, Matt is known for his good humor and a knack for turning defeats into learning moments. With over 450 daily wins and counting, and an unbeaten streak touching 17 games historically, Matt Walton is not just playing chess – he’s a chess story in motion, always ready for the next move.
