EP 502: GM Mauricio Flores Rios on Finding Lessons in Olympiad Games

As a three-time Chess Olympian representing Chile, GM Mauricio Flores Rios, renowned author of Chess Structures, has fond memories of this timeless, biennial tournament. But these days, he is more interested in the instructive quality of the games than in the races for medals. In our conversation, Mauricio discusses some of the most instructive Olympiad games that he reviewed on his YouTube channel before we pivot to a broader conversation about the Olympiad, chess improvement, the challenges of interviewing chess prodigies, and the evolution of his chess startup, ChessMind AI. Before we say goodbye, Mauricio shares some improvement advice based on his interactions with countless amateur chess players. It’s always fun chatting with Mauricio! 0:00 IntroThanks to our sponsors, Claude.ai/chessCheck out Claude-coded Chris Wainscott’s chess site: guessthemove.net3:30 Mauricio joins and reflects on playing in three Chess OlympiadsCheck out Mauricio’s confusing Olimpbase page here:https://www.olimpbase.org/players/l9dxlxdl.html9:00 How Mauricio finds the most instructive Olympiad games12:30 Favorite games and lessons from the eventCheck out Mauricio’s bullet win over GM Vincent Keymer here:https://lichess.org/sVl59MdM?pov=ChessMindAIThe most interesting game:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3SxghzYRB0&list=PLfOXGLq2wea8&index=13Mauricio’s annotations of Abdusattorov-Caruana:https://chessmind.ai/events/chess-olympiad-2026/game-of-the-day/round-9/Mauricio’s Erdogmus-Oro annotations:https://chessmind.ai/events/chess-olympiad-2026/game-of-the-day/round-10/16:00 What stands out about today’s chess prodigies?18:00 What Mauricio has learned from interviewing top young players22:30 Patreon mailbag question: How does Mauricio differentiate his YouTube channelin a crowded field?  25:30 The evolution of ChessMind AI and what users want most32:30 The challenges of building a chess startup in the AI era47:30 Mauricio’s chess improvement advice and YouTube plans Thanks to Mauricio for joining me! Here is how to keep up with him: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCafpDJknMf7fr1Wlw6jAEMQChessMind AI: https://chessmind.ai Email: mauricio.a.flores.math at gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices