IT was checkmate for two recent graduates of Limerick’s Mary Immaculate College, who took home the Best Overall award at the Startup Atlas competition, contested at this year’s Limerick IT Summit at Dell Technologies.
ChessIreland founders Tomás Fitzpatrick and Oisín Flynn were awarded for their startup, which aims at bringing “structred chess education to primaty school children across Ireland”.
The company works with more than 40 schools across Ireland and has helped establish over 10 community chess clubs.
Delighted with the Startup Atlas win, Tomas said that the idea for ChessIreland first started while the pair were on teaching placement and “quickly recognised the strong demand for structured chess education in primary schools”.
“As passionate chess players ourselves, it has been a real pleasure to help spread chess throughout Irish primary schools. It’s been incredibly rewarding to see the impact it’s having in classrooms.”
With the mentorship of MIC assistance professor Dr David Cosgrave, the duo developed ChessIreland into a start-up focused on building a national chess education ecosystem that nurtures concentration, critical thinking and confidence in young people.
Fitzpatrick and Flynn also helped introduce chess to MIC, founding the MIC Chess Club during their second year in the college.
Fresh from their success at the Limerick IT Summit, Tomás and Oisín also piloted Chess4Schools Live, delivering what is believed to be the largest online chess event in Irish history, reaching around 1,000 children each week.
Speaking on the pair’s achievements, Dr Cosgrave said: “I could tell from our first meeting that there was something special about them both. They love chess and are a perfect mix of humble yet self-confident and hardworking.”
He said the win “was a testament to their hard work. Following it up with the largest ever online chess event in Irish history was even more amazing”.
Their entrepreneurial journey also included participation in the 13-week Student Inc programme, led by Munster Technological University and supported by the Higher Education Authority, where they joined 70 student entrepreneurs from across Ireland in developing and refining their business.