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Among the most vibrant venues on a Tuesday evening in the East End's famous street isn't a dining spot or a urban fashion brand temporary shop, it is a chess club – or a chess club-nightclub fusion, to be exact.

This unique venue embodies the unlikely blend between chess and London's dynamic evening entertainment scene. It was founded by a young entrepreneur, 27, who began his initial chess club in August 2023 at a more intimate bar in a nearby area, not too far from the present location at a popular cafe on Brick Lane.

“I wanted to create chess clubs for individuals who share my background and those my age,” he explained. “Typically, chess is only placed in environments that are dominated by older people, which isn't diverse sufficiently.”

On the first night, there were just 8 boards shared by sixteen people. Now, a “successful evening” at the weekly club event will draw about two hundred eighty attendees.

At first glance, Knight Club feels closer to a DJ event than a traditional chess meeting. Cocktails are being served and tunes is playing, but the game boards on every table aren't just decorative or there as a gimmick: they are all in use and encircled by a queue of spectators eagerly anticipating for their turn.

Jimmy Ifenayi, in her mid-twenties, has been attending the club regularly for the past four months. “I possessed no knowledge of chess prior to my first visit, and the first time I ever played, I competed in a game with a grandmaster. That was a quick win, but it left me intrigued to study and continue enjoying chess,” she said.

“The event is about half social and 50% participants actually wanting to play chess … It is a nice way to unwind, which doesn't involve visiting a club to see others my age.”

An Activity Revitalized: Chess in the Modern Era

Lately, chess has been firmly established in the cultural zeitgeist. The popularity of online chess expanded rapidly throughout the global health crisis, establishing it as one of the most rapidly expanding online games in the world. In popular culture, the streaming series The Queen’s Gambit, as well as the author's recent novel Intermezzo, have crafted a certain imagery surrounding the game, which has attracted a fresh generation of players.

However much of this newfound attraction of the chess night isn't always about the intricacies of the game; instead, it is the ease of connecting with others that it enables, by taking a chair and playing with someone who could be a total unknown individual.

“It is a great clever disguise,” remarked Jonah Freud, co-founder of Reference Point in the city, a bookshop, library, coffee house and lounge, which has hosted a well-attended chess club every Wednesday since it opened four years ago. His objective is to “remove chess off a pedestal and transform it into similar to billiards in a casual pub”.

“It's a really simple vehicle to get to know people. It kind of removes the pressure of the need of small talk away from interacting with people. You can handle the uncomfortable part of introducing yourself and chatting to someone across a game instead of with no shared activity involved.”

Expanding the Network: Social Gatherings Outside the Capital

Elsewhere in the UK, a similar initiative is a recurring chess event taking place at York’s Cafe, just outside the city centre. “Our observation was that individuals are seeking places where you can go out, interact and have a good time beyond visiting a bar or club,” stated its creator and organiser, Karan Singh, in his early twenties.

Alongside his associate a partner, 21, Singh bought game sets, created promotional materials and started the chess club in January, while in his last year of university. Within months, Singh said their event has grown to draw more than one hundred young players to its events.

“A chess club has a particular connotation associated with it, about it seeming quiet. Our approach is to move in the contrary direction; it's a social party with chess as part of it,” he said.

Discovering and Engaging: A New Cohort of Players

For many, chess clubs are an entry point to the activity. One participant, 27, is picking up how to play chess with fellow attenders of chess night at Reference Point. She became curious in the game was piqued after an enjoyable evening moving to music and engaging in chess at one of Knight Club's occasions.

“It's a strange concept, but it works,” she said. “It encourages in-person interactions rather than digital activities. It's a no-cost neutral ground to encounter new people. It is inviting, you don't need to necessarily be good at chess.”

She jokingly likened the trendiness of chess with the youth to the facade of the “ostentatious intellectual”, an effort to simulate intellectualism while projecting the appearance of “coolness”. If the chess craze has fostered a genuine passion in the sport isn't a notion she is entirely sure about. “It is a positive trend, but it’s largely a fad,” she said. “Once you're playing with opponents who are really serious about it, it quickly turns less enjoyable.”

Serious Play and Community

It might seem like a bit of lighthearted activity for those aiming to employ a game set as a networking tool, but competitive players certainly have their role, albeit off the main party area.

Lucia Ene-Lesikar, in her early twenties, who helps organise the club,says that increasingly skilled players have established a league table. “People who are part of the competition will face each other, we'll go to early rounds, advanced stages, and then we will eventually have a champion.”

A dedicated player, 23, is a serious player and chess instructor. He has been the competition for about a year and participates at the club almost every week. “This offers a nice alternative to engaging in intense chess; it provides a sense of belonging,” he expressed.

“It is interesting to see how it evolves into increasingly a social pastime, because previously the sole people who played chess were those who didn't go outside; they just stayed home. It's usually only two people competing on a game board …

“What appeals to me about here is that one isn't actually playing against the digital opponent, you're engaging with live opponents.”