🔗 Share this article

One of the most vibrant spots on a Tuesday evening in the East End's famous street isn't a restaurant or a streetwear brand pop-up, it is a chess gathering – or a chess and nightlife hybrid, precisely speaking.

This unique venue embodies the surprising fusion between the classic game and London's fervent nightlife scene. It was founded by a young entrepreneur, in his late twenties, who launched his first chess club in the summer of 2023 at a smaller bar in a nearby area, not too far from the current location at a popular cafe on Brick Lane.

“I wanted to make chess clubs for people who share my background and those my generation,” he explained. “Typically, chess is only placed in spaces that are dominated by senior individuals, which is not diverse sufficiently.”

Initially, there were only eight boards shared by 16 people. Now, a “successful evening” at the weekly Knight Club will attract approximately 280 attendees.

Upon arrival, Knight Club seems more like a DJ event than a traditional chess meeting. Cocktails are flowing and music is playing, but the chessboards on every table aren't just ornamental or there as a novelty: they are all occupied and surrounded by a queue of spectators eagerly anticipating for their chance to play.

One regular, in her mid-twenties, has frequented the club regularly for the last several months. “I possessed little understanding of chess prior to my first visit, and the initial occasion I ever played, I played a game against a grandmaster. It was a swift win, but it made me intrigued to study and continue enjoying chess,” she noted.

“This gathering is about half networking and 50% people genuinely wishing to play chess … It's a pleasant way to unwind, which doesn't involve visiting a typical nightspot to meet others my age.”

A Game Reborn: The Ancient Game in the Modern Era

Lately, chess has been cemented in the societal spirit of the times. Its appeal of digital chess expanded rapidly throughout the global health crisis, making it one of the most rapidly expanding online games globally. Across media, the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, as well as the author's recent novel Intermezzo, have created a distinct imagery surrounding the sport, which has drawn in a new generation of players.

However much of this recent appeal of the chess club is not always about the intricacies of the play; instead, it is the ease of social interaction that it enables, by taking a chair and playing with a person who could be a total stranger.

“It is a great Trojan horse,” remarked Jonah Freud, co-founder of Reference Point in London, a bookshop, library, cafe and bar, which has organized a popular chess club every Wednesday since it opened several years back. Freud’s aim is to “remove chess from its elite status and make it feel similar to billiards in a casual pub”.

“It is a really easy tool to meet people. It somewhat removes the pressure of the need of conversation away from socializing with people. One can do the awkward part of introducing yourself and talking to a new acquaintance over a board instead of with no shared activity around it.”

Expanding the Network: Social Gatherings Beyond London

Elsewhere in the UK, Chesscafé is a recurring chess event taking place at York’s Cafe, just outside the downtown area. “Our observation was that people are seeking places where one can socialize, socialise and have a fun evening beyond going to a pub or nightclub,” stated its founder and coordinator, a young leader, in his early twenties.

Alongside his associate a partner, 21, Singh bought game sets, printed flyers and began the chess club in January, while in his final year of college. Within months, Singh reported Chesscafé has grown to draw more than 100 youthful participants to its events.

“A chess club has a particular reputation associated with it, about it being reserved. Our approach is to move in the contrary way; it's a convivial party with chess involved,” he emphasized.

Learning and Engaging: An Alternative Generation of Players

For many, chess clubs are an entry point to the game. One participant, 27, is picking up how to participate in chess with other attenders of the weekly event at the venue. Her interest in the pastime was sparked after an enjoyable evening dancing and playing chess at one of Knight Club's occasions.

“It is a strange idea, but it works,” she said. “It promotes in-person exchanges rather than screen-based activities. It's a no-cost neutral ground to encounter strangers. It is inviting, you don't have to necessarily be good at chess.”

She humorously compared the popularity of chess with young people to the superficial image of the “ostentatious intellectual”, an attempt to simulate braininess while signaling the veneer of “coolness”. If the chess trend has fostered a authentic passion in the game isn't a notion she is quite sure about. “It is a wholesome phenomenon, but it’s very much a trend,” she observed. “Once you compete with people who are really serious about it, it quickly becomes less enjoyable.”

Competitive Gaming and Togetherness

It may seem like a bit of fun and games for those aiming to employ a chessboard as a networking tool, but competitive players do have their place, albeit off the dancefloor.

Lucia Ene-Lesikar, in her early twenties, who assists in organise the club,says that more skilled players have established a league table. “Participants who are in the league will play one another, we will go to quarter-finals, advanced stages, and then we'll finally have a league winner.”

A dedicated player, in his twenties, is a competitive player and chess instructor. He joined the competition for about a year and participates at the club almost weekly. “This is a nice option to playing intense chess; it provides a sense of belonging,” he said.

“It's fascinating to observe how it evolves into more of a communal activity, because in the past the only individuals who played chess were those who didn't socialize; they just remained home. It is usually just a pair playing on a game board …

“The thing appeals to me about here is that one isn't actually playing against the computer, you are facing real people.”