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Among the liveliest spots on a Tuesday evening in east London's famous street couldn't be a restaurant or a streetwear brand temporary shop, it is a chess gathering – or rather a chess and nightlife hybrid, to be exact.

Knight Club represents the unlikely fusion between the classic game and London's dynamic evening entertainment culture. It was founded by a young entrepreneur, in his late twenties, who launched his first chess club in August 2023 at a smaller 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. “Usually, chess is only placed in environments that are full of older people, which isn't diverse sufficiently.”

On the first night, there were only eight boards shared by 16 people. Now, a “good night” at the regular Knight Club will attract approximately two hundred eighty people.

Upon arrival, Knight Club seems closer to a DJ event than a traditional chess meeting. Cocktails are flowing and music is playing, but the chessboards on each table are not just decorative or there as a gimmick: they are all in use and encircled by a line of spectators waiting for their chance to play.

Jimmy Ifenayi, in her mid-twenties, has frequented Knight Club regularly for the past several months. “I had no knowledge of chess before I came here, and the initial occasion I tried it, I competed in a game against a grandmaster. That was a swift victory, but it left me fascinated to study and continue enjoying chess,” she said.

“The event is about half networking and 50% participants genuinely wanting to play chess … It is a pleasant way to relax, which doesn't involve going to a club to meet others my age.”

An Activity Revitalized: Chess in the Modern Era

In recent years, chess has been firmly established in the cultural spirit of the times. The popularity of online chess expanded rapidly throughout the global health crisis, establishing it as one of the fastest-growing internet pastimes in the world. Across media, the streaming series The Queen’s Gambit, along with Sally Rooney’s recent novel Intermezzo, have created a distinct iconography associated with the game, which has drawn in a fresh generation of enthusiasts.

But a great deal of this newfound attraction of the chess club is not necessarily about the technicalities of the play; rather, it is the simplicity of social interaction that it enables, by taking a seat and playing with a person who could be a complete unknown individual.

“It is a great clever disguise,” remarked Jonah Freud, co-founder of a local venue in London, a bookstore, reading room, cafe and bar, which has organized a well-attended chess club weekly since it began several years back. Freud’s aim is to “take chess from its elite status and transform it into similar to billiards in a casual pub”.

“It's a really easy tool to meet people. It somewhat takes the weight of the need of conversation from interacting with people. One can handle the uncomfortable bit of introducing yourself and talking to someone over a game rather than with no kind of context involved.”

Growing the Community: Chess Nights Outside the Capital

In Birmingham, a similar initiative is a regular chess night taking place at a city cafe, just outside the downtown area. “We found that people are looking for spaces where one can socialize, interact and enjoy a good time outside of going to a bar or club,” said its creator and organiser, Karan Singh, 21.

Together with his friend Abdirahim Haji, 21, Singh purchased chessboards, created flyers and started the chess club in January, during his last year of university. Within months, Singh said Chesscafé has grown to draw more than one hundred youthful players to its gatherings.

“Such a venue has a particular connotation to it, about it being quiet. We really try to go the opposite way; it's a social party with chess as part of it,” he emphasized.

Learning and Engaging: A New Cohort of Players

For many, chess clubs are an introduction to the activity. One participant, 27, is picking up how to play chess with fellow visitors of the weekly event at Reference Point. Her interest in the pastime was sparked after an pleasurable night moving to music and playing chess at a previous the club's occasions.

“It is a unique idea, but it works,” she said. “It encourages face-to-face interactions rather than screen-based activities. It is a free third space to encounter strangers. It is welcoming, one doesn't need to necessarily be good at chess.”

She jokingly compared the popularity of chess with the youth to the superficial image of the “performative male”, an effort to feign braininess while signaling the veneer of “hipness”. Whether the chess trend has cultivated a authentic passion in the sport is not a notion she is entirely sure about. “It is a positive trend, but it’s largely a trend,” she said. “Once you compete with opponents who are truly serious about it, it quickly becomes less fun.”

Competitive Play and Community

It may all be a bit of fun and games for individuals aiming to employ a chessboard as a social vehicle, but serious participants do have their place, albeit off the main party area.

Lucia Ene-Lesikar, 22, who helps organise the club,explains that more competitive attenders have formed a league table. “People who are in the league will play one another, we'll go to early rounds, semi-finals, and then we will eventually have a champion.”

Ryames Chan, in his twenties, is a competitive competitor and chess instructor. He has been the competition for about a twelve months and participates at the club nearly weekly. “This is a nice alternative to engaging in intense chess; it gives a sense of belonging,” he said.

“It is fascinating to observe how it becomes increasingly a social activity, because previously the only individuals who engaged in chess were people who didn't socialize; they just remained home. It's typically just a pair playing on a chessboard …

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