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One of the most energetic locations on a Tuesday evening in the East End's Brick Lane couldn't be a restaurant or a streetwear brand pop-up, it's a chess club – or rather a chess club-nightclub fusion, precisely speaking.

This unique venue embodies the unlikely crossover between the classic game and London's fervent evening entertainment scene. It was started by a young entrepreneur, in his late twenties, who launched his initial chess club in the summer of 2023 at a more intimate bar in Aldgate, a short distance from the current location at Café 1001 on Brick Lane.

“I wanted to create chess clubs for people who share my background and people my age,” he explained. “Usually, chess is only placed in spaces that are full of senior individuals, which isn't diverse enough.”

On the first night, there were just eight boards shared by sixteen people. Now, a “successful evening” at the regular club event will attract about two hundred eighty attendees.

At first glance, Knight Club seems closer to a music night than a chess club. Cocktails are flowing and tunes is in the air, but the game boards on every table are not just ornamental or there as a novelty: they are all in use and encircled by a line of spectators waiting for their chance to play.

One regular, 24, has frequented the club often for the last several months. “I possessed no knowledge of chess prior to my first visit, and the first time I ever played, I played a game against a grandmaster. That was a swift win, but it left me fascinated to study and keep playing chess,” she noted.

“The event is about half networking and half participants genuinely wanting to engage in chess … It's a pleasant way to relax, which doesn't involve going to a typical nightspot to see other people my age.”

A Game Revitalized: The Ancient Game in the Contemporary Era

In recent years, chess has been cemented in the societal spirit of the times. Its appeal of digital chess proliferated during the pandemic, establishing it as one of the most rapidly expanding online pastimes in the world. In popular culture, the Netflix series a hit show, along with Sally Rooney’s recent novel a literary work, have created a distinct imagery associated with the game, which has drawn in a new generation of players.

However much of this newfound attraction of the chess club is not always about the intricacies of the play; instead, it is the ease of connecting with others that it facilitates, by pulling up a chair and playing with someone who could be a total stranger.

“It's a brilliant Trojan horse,” said Jonah Freud, founder of a local venue in the city, a bookstore, reading room, coffee house and lounge, which has organized a popular chess club every Wednesday since it opened four years ago. His aim is to “remove chess from its elite status and transform it into similar to billiards in a casual pub”.

“It's a really easy vehicle to meet people. It somewhat takes the weight of the necessity of conversation from interacting with people. You can do the awkward bit of introducing yourself and talking to a new acquaintance across a board instead of with no kind of shared activity involved.”

Growing the Community: Social Gatherings Outside London

Elsewhere in the UK, Chesscafé is a regular chess night taking place at York’s Cafe, near the downtown area. “We found that individuals are looking for spaces where one can go out, socialise and have a fun evening outside of going to a bar or nightclub,” said its creator and coordinator, Karan Singh, in his early twenties.

Alongside his associate Abdirahim Haji, also young, he bought game sets, printed promotional materials and started the chess club in the start of the year, while in his final year of university. In less than a year, Singh reported their event has grown to attract over 100 youthful participants to its events.

“A chess club has a specific reputation to it, about it seeming reserved. Our approach is to move in the contrary way; it's a convivial party with chess as part of it,” he said.

Discovering and Engaging: An Alternative Cohort of Players

Among numerous attendees, chess clubs are an entry point to the game. Zoë Kezia, in her late twenties, is picking up how to participate in chess with fellow attenders of the weekly event at the venue. She became curious in the pastime was sparked after an enjoyable night moving to music and engaging in chess at a previous Knight Club's occasions.

“It's a unique idea, but it works,” she commented. “It encourages in-person exchanges rather than screen-based activities. It's a free neutral ground to meet strangers. It is inviting, you don't need to necessarily be skilled at chess.”

Kezia humorously likened the trendiness of chess among young people to the superficial image of the “performative male”, an attempt to feign intellectualism while signaling the appearance of “hipness”. Whether the chess craze has cultivated a genuine passion in the sport isn't a notion she's entirely convinced by. “It is a positive trend, but it’s largely a fad,” she said. “Once you're playing with people who are truly serious about it, it quickly turns less fun.”

Serious Gaming and Togetherness

It may seem like a some lighthearted activity for those looking to use a chessboard as a networking tool, but serious players certainly have their role, even if away from the main party area.

Lucia Ene-Lesikar, in her early twenties, who assists in running Knight Club,says that increasingly competitive players have formed a competitive ranking. “Participants who are in the league will play one another, we'll go to quarter-finals, advanced stages, and then we will finally have a champion.”

Ryames Chan, 23, is a competitive player and chess instructor. He has been the competition for about a twelve months and participates at the club nearly every week. “This is a welcome alternative to engaging in serious chess; it gives a sense of community,” he said.

“It's fascinating to see how it evolves into increasingly a communal activity, because previously the sole individuals who engaged in chess were people who rarely socialize; they simply stayed home. It's usually only a pair competing on a chessboard …

“The thing appeals to me about here is that you're not really playing against the computer, you are engaging with real people.”