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One of the liveliest spots on a weekday evening in east London's Brick Lane isn't a restaurant or a urban fashion brand pop-up, it is a chess club – or a chess and nightlife hybrid, precisely speaking.

Knight Club represents the unlikely fusion between the classic game and London's dynamic nightlife scene. It was started by Yusuf Ntahilaja, 27, who began his initial chess club in August 2023 at a smaller bar in a nearby area, not too far from the current location at Café 1001 on the iconic lane.

“I wanted to create chess clubs for people who look like me and those my age,” he explained. “Usually, chess is only put in environments that are full of senior individuals, which is not diverse sufficiently.”

Initially, there were just eight boards between sixteen people. Now, a “good night” at the weekly Knight Club will attract about 280 people.

Upon arrival, the venue feels closer to a music night than a chess club. Cocktails are flowing and tunes is playing, but the game boards on every table aren't just ornamental or there as a gimmick: they are all in use and surrounded by a line of spectators waiting for their chance to play.

One regular, 24, has frequented the club regularly for the last four months. “I possessed little understanding of chess prior to I came here, and the first time I tried it, I competed in a game with a expert player. That was a quick win, but it made me intrigued to study and continue enjoying chess,” she noted.

“The event is about half social and half participants genuinely wishing to play chess … It's a nice way to relax, which doesn't involve visiting a club to meet others my generation.”

A Game Revitalized: The Ancient Game in the Modern Era

Lately, chess has been cemented in the cultural spirit of the times. The popularity of digital chess expanded rapidly during the global health crisis, establishing it as one of the fastest-growing online games globally. Across media, the streaming series The Queen’s Gambit, as well as the author's recent novel a literary work, have created a distinct iconography surrounding the sport, which has drawn in a fresh generation of players.

However much of this newfound appeal of the chess night isn't necessarily about the technicalities of the play; rather, it is the ease of connecting with others that it enables, by taking a seat and engaging with someone who could be a total unknown individual.

“It's a great clever disguise,” remarked one organizer, founder of a local venue in London, a bookshop, library, coffee house and bar, which has organized a well-attended chess club weekly since it began four years ago. Freud’s objective is to “take chess off a pedestal and transform it into like pool in a dive bar”.

“It's a very easy tool to get to know people. It somewhat takes the pressure of the need of conversation from socializing with people. One can handle the uncomfortable bit of introducing yourself and talking to a new acquaintance over a game instead of with no shared activity involved.”

Expanding the Network: Chess Nights Outside London

In Birmingham, Chesscafé is a regular chess event taking place at a city cafe, near the city centre. “Our observation was that individuals are looking for spaces where you can go out, socialise and have a good time outside of going to a bar or club,” said its founder and coordinator, Karan Singh, 21.

Together with his associate a partner, also young, he purchased chessboards, printed flyers and started the chess club in the start of the year, during his last year of university. Within months, he reported Chesscafé has expanded to attract over 100 young participants to its gatherings.

“Such a venue has a specific connotation associated with it, about it seeming reserved. Our approach is to move in the contrary direction; it is a social party with chess involved,” he said.

Discovering and Engaging: A New Generation of Players

For many, chess clubs are an entry point to the activity. Zoë Kezia, in her late twenties, is learning how to participate in chess with other visitors of the weekly event at Reference Point. Her interest in the game was sparked after an enjoyable evening dancing and playing chess at one of the club's occasions.

“It's a strange idea, but it works,” she commented. “It promotes face-to-face exchanges rather than digital pastimes. It is a free neutral ground to encounter new people. It is inviting, one doesn't need to necessarily be good at chess.”

She jokingly compared the trendiness of chess among the youth to the facade of the “ostentatious intellectual”, an attempt to simulate intellectualism while projecting the veneer of “coolness”. If the chess trend has cultivated a genuine passion in the game is not a notion she is quite sure about. “It is a positive phenomenon, but it’s largely a fad,” she said. “Once you compete against opponents who are really serious about it, it quickly turns less fun.”

Serious Play and Togetherness

It may all be a bit of lighthearted activity for those looking to use a chessboard as a social vehicle, but competitive players certainly have their role, even if away from the dancefloor.

Another organizer, 22, who assists in running Knight Club,says that increasingly skilled players have formed a competitive ranking. “Participants who are part of the competition will face each other, we'll go to early rounds, advanced stages, and then we'll finally have a champion.”

Ryames Chan, in his twenties, is a serious competitor and chess instructor. He joined in the league for about a twelve months and plays at the club nearly every week. “This is a nice alternative to playing serious chess; it provides a sense of belonging,” he expressed.

“It's interesting to see how it becomes more of a communal pastime, because in the past the only people who engaged in chess were people who rarely socialize; they simply stayed home. It's typically only two people competing on a chessboard …

“What I like about this place is that one isn't actually playing against the computer, you are engaging with real people.”