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One of the most vibrant venues on a Tuesday evening in east London's Brick Lane couldn't be a dining spot or a streetwear label temporary shop, it is a chess club – or a chess club-nightclub hybrid, to be exact.

Knight Club embodies the surprising crossover between chess and London's fervent nightlife culture. It was started by a young entrepreneur, in his late twenties, who launched his initial chess club in August 2023 at a smaller bar in Aldgate, not too far from the present location at Café 1001 on the iconic lane.

“My goal was to create chess clubs for individuals who look like me and those my generation,” he explained. “Usually, chess is only placed in spaces that are dominated by older people, which isn't diverse sufficiently.”

Initially, there were just 8 boards between sixteen people. Now, a “good night” at the regular Knight Club will attract about two hundred eighty people.

Upon arrival, the venue feels more like a DJ event than a chess club. Cocktails are being served and music is playing, but the chessboards on each table aren't just decorative or there as a gimmick: they are all occupied and surrounded by a line of spectators eagerly anticipating for their chance to play.

Jimmy Ifenayi, in her mid-twenties, has frequented Knight Club often for the last several months. “I had no knowledge of chess prior to my first visit, and the initial occasion I tried it, I played a game against a expert player. It was a swift win, but it left me fascinated to learn and continue enjoying chess,” she said.

“The event is about 50% social and 50% people genuinely wanting to play chess … It's a pleasant way to relax, which avoids visiting a typical nightspot to meet other people my generation.”

A Game Reborn: Chess in the Contemporary Era

In recent years, chess has been cemented in the cultural zeitgeist. The popularity of digital chess expanded rapidly during the pandemic, establishing it as one of the fastest-growing online games in the world. In popular culture, the streaming series The Queen’s Gambit, along with the author's latest novel Intermezzo, have created a certain imagery associated with the game, which has attracted a new generation of enthusiasts.

However much of this recent attraction of the chess club isn't necessarily about the technicalities of the play; instead, it is the simplicity of connecting with others that it facilitates, by taking a seat and playing with someone who could be a complete unknown individual.

“It's a brilliant clever disguise,” remarked Jonah Freud, founder of Reference Point in the city, a bookshop, library, cafe 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 is a really easy vehicle to get to know people. It somewhat takes the pressure of the need of conversation from interacting with people. One can do the uncomfortable part of introducing yourself and talking to someone over a game instead of with no shared activity around it.”

Growing the Network: Chess Nights Outside the Capital

In Birmingham, a similar initiative is a regular chess event held at York’s Cafe, near the city centre. “Our observation was that people are looking for places where you can go out, socialise and enjoy a fun evening outside of going to a bar or nightclub,” stated its founder and organiser, Karan Singh, in his early twenties.

Together with his associate Abdirahim Haji, 21, he purchased game sets, printed flyers and began the chess club in January, while in his final year of college. In less than a year, Singh said their event has grown to attract more than 100 youthful participants to its events.

“A chess club has a specific reputation to it, about it being reserved. Our approach is to move in the contrary way; it's a social get-together with chess involved,” he emphasized.

Learning and Engaging: An Alternative Generation of Chess Enthusiasts

Among numerous attendees, chess clubs are an introduction to the activity. Zoë Kezia, 27, is picking up how to play chess with other visitors of the weekly event at Reference Point. Her interest in the game was piqued after an enjoyable night moving to music and engaging in chess at one of Knight Club's occasions.

“It's a strange idea, but it functions well,” she said. “It promotes in-person interactions rather than digital activities. It's a no-cost neutral ground to meet strangers. It's inviting, you don't need to necessarily be good at chess.”

She jokingly likened the trendiness of chess among the youth to the superficial image of the “ostentatious intellectual”, an attempt to feign braininess while signaling the veneer of “hipness”. If the chess trend has cultivated a genuine interest in the sport is not a notion she's entirely sure about. “It's a positive trend, but it’s very much a trend,” she said. “Once you compete against opponents who are really dedicated about it, it rapidly becomes less enjoyable.”

Serious Play and Community

It might all be a bit of lighthearted activity for those aiming to employ a game set as a social vehicle, but competitive players certainly have their role, albeit away from the dancefloor.

Another organizer, 22, who assists in running the club,explains that increasingly competitive players have established a competitive ranking. “Participants who are part of the competition will play each other, we will progress to quarter-finals, semi-finals, and then we'll finally have a champion.”

A dedicated player, in his twenties, is a serious player and chess teacher. He joined the competition for about a year and plays at the club almost every week. “This is a welcome option to engaging in serious chess; it gives a sense of community,” he said.

“It is interesting to observe how it becomes more of a social activity, because in the past the only individuals who played chess were people who didn't socialize; they simply remained home. It is typically just a pair competing on a chessboard …

“What I like about this place is that one isn't really facing the digital opponent, you are engaging with real people.”