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Among the liveliest spots on a weekday night in the East End's famous street couldn't be a restaurant or a streetwear label pop-up, it's a chess gathering – or a chess club-nightclub fusion, to be exact.

This unique venue represents the surprising blend between chess and London's fervent nightlife culture. It was started by a young entrepreneur, in his late twenties, who began his initial chess club in August 2023 at a smaller bar in a nearby area, a short distance from the present location at a popular cafe on Brick Lane.

“My goal was to make chess clubs for individuals who share my background and those my age,” he said. “Usually, chess is only placed in spaces that are full of senior individuals, which isn't diverse sufficiently.”

On the first night, there were just eight boards shared by 16 people. Now, a “successful evening” at the weekly Knight Club will attract approximately two hundred eighty people.

At first glance, Knight Club feels more like a music night than a traditional chess meeting. Cocktails are being served and music is in the air, but the chessboards on each table are not just ornamental or there as a gimmick: they are all in use and surrounded by a queue of onlookers waiting for their turn.

Jimmy Ifenayi, 24, has been attending the club regularly for the last several months. “I possessed little understanding of chess prior to I came here, and the first time I ever played, I competed in a game with a expert player. That was a quick win, but it left me fascinated to study and continue enjoying chess,” she said.

“The event is about 50% social and 50% people actually wanting to play chess … It is a nice way to unwind, which avoids visiting a typical nightspot to see other people my generation.”

A Game Revitalized: Chess in the Modern Age

Lately, chess has been cemented in the cultural spirit of the times. The popularity of digital chess expanded rapidly throughout the global health crisis, making it one of the most rapidly expanding internet pastimes globally. Across media, the Netflix series a hit show, as well as Sally Rooney’s recent novel Intermezzo, have crafted a distinct imagery surrounding the sport, which has attracted a fresh generation of enthusiasts.

But much of this recent appeal of the chess club is not necessarily about the intricacies of the game; instead, it is the simplicity of social interaction that it facilitates, by pulling up a chair and engaging with someone who could be a total stranger.

“It is a great Trojan horse,” remarked one organizer, co-founder of a local venue in London, a bookstore, library, coffee house and lounge, which has hosted a well-attended chess club every Wednesday since it opened several years back. Freud’s objective is to “take chess from its elite status and make it feel like pool in a casual pub”.

“It's a really easy vehicle to get to know people. It kind of takes the weight of the need of small talk from interacting with people. You can do the awkward bit of making an introduction and talking to a new acquaintance over a board rather than with no kind of context involved.”

Growing the Community: Social Gatherings Outside London

In Birmingham, Chesscafé is a recurring chess event held at a city cafe, near the city centre. “Our observation was that people are looking for spaces where one can socialize, interact and have a good time outside of visiting a pub or nightclub,” stated its founder and coordinator, a young leader, in his early twenties.

Alongside his associate a partner, also young, he purchased game sets, printed promotional materials and started the chess club in January, while in his last year of university. In less than a year, he reported Chesscafé has grown to attract more than 100 youthful players to its events.

“A chess club has a specific connotation to it, about it being quiet. Our approach is to move in the opposite direction; it is a convivial party with chess involved,” he emphasized.

Learning and Engaging: A New Generation of Players

Among numerous attendees, chess clubs are an introduction to the activity. One participant, in her late twenties, is picking up how to participate in chess with other attenders of chess night at Reference Point. Her interest in the game was sparked after an enjoyable evening dancing and engaging in chess at one of the club's occasions.

“It is a strange idea, but it functions well,” she said. “It encourages face-to-face exchanges instead of screen-based activities. It's a no-cost third space to encounter new people. It's inviting, one doesn't have to necessarily be skilled at chess.”

She humorously compared the popularity of chess with the youth to the facade of the “performative male”, an attempt to simulate intellectualism while projecting the appearance of “hipness”. If the chess trend has fostered a genuine interest in the sport is not a notion she is entirely convinced by. “It's a positive phenomenon, but it’s very much a fad,” she observed. “When you compete with opponents who are really serious about it, it rapidly becomes less enjoyable.”

Serious Gaming and Togetherness

It might all be a bit of lighthearted activity for those looking to employ a game set as a networking tool, but competitive players certainly have their place, albeit off the main party area.

Lucia Ene-Lesikar, 22, who helps running the club,explains that increasingly competitive attenders have established a competitive ranking. “People who are part of the competition will face one another, we will progress to early rounds, advanced stages, and then we'll finally have a league winner.”

A dedicated player, 23, is a serious competitor and chess instructor. He has been in the league for about a year and plays at the club almost weekly. “This offers a welcome alternative to engaging in intense chess; it gives a sense of belonging,” he said.

“It's interesting to observe how it evolves into more of a social pastime, because in the past the sole people who engaged in chess were people who rarely socialize; they just remained home. It's usually only a pair competing on a chessboard …

“The thing I like about this place is that one isn't really playing against the digital opponent, you're engaging with real people.”