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One of the liveliest locations on a weekday night in east London's Brick Lane couldn't be a restaurant or a streetwear brand temporary shop, it is a chess club – or a chess club-nightclub combination, precisely speaking.

This unique venue embodies the unlikely blend between the classic game and London's dynamic evening entertainment scene. It was founded by Yusuf Ntahilaja, 27, who began his first chess club in the summer of 2023 at a more intimate bar in Aldgate, a short distance from the current location at a popular cafe on the iconic lane.

“My goal was to make chess clubs for people who share my background and people my generation,” he explained. “Typically, chess is only placed in environments that are dominated by older people, which is not inclusive sufficiently.”

On the first night, there were only eight boards shared by sixteen people. Today, a “successful evening” at the regular club event will draw approximately two hundred eighty people.

Upon arrival, Knight Club seems closer to a DJ event than a chess club. Cocktails are being served and music is in the air, but the chessboards on each table are not just decorative or there as a novelty: they are all occupied and encircled by a line of spectators waiting for their chance to play.

Jimmy Ifenayi, 24, has been attending Knight Club often for the last several months. “I had little understanding of chess prior to I came here, and the initial occasion I ever played, I competed in a game with a expert player. That was a quick victory, but it left me fascinated to learn and keep playing chess,” she noted.

“The event is about half social and half participants actually wanting to engage in chess … It's a nice way to decompress, which avoids visiting a club to meet others my age.”

An Activity Reborn: The Ancient Game in the Modern Era

Lately, chess has been cemented in the societal spirit of the times. The popularity of digital chess proliferated during the global health crisis, establishing it as one of the most rapidly expanding internet pastimes globally. Across media, the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, along with Sally Rooney’s recent novel a literary work, have crafted a distinct imagery surrounding the game, which has drawn in a fresh generation of enthusiasts.

But a great deal of this newfound attraction of the chess club isn't 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 may be a complete stranger.

“It's a great clever disguise,” remarked one organizer, co-founder of a local venue in the city, a bookshop, reading room, coffee house and lounge, which has organized a popular chess club every Wednesday since it began four years ago. His aim is to “remove chess off a pedestal and make it feel similar to billiards in a casual pub”.

“It is a really simple vehicle to get to know people. It somewhat removes the pressure of the necessity of small talk away from interacting with people. You can do the awkward bit of making an introduction and chatting to someone across a game rather than with no kind of context around it.”

Expanding the Community: Chess Nights Beyond the Capital

In Birmingham, a similar initiative is a regular chess night taking place at York’s Cafe, near the downtown area. “We found that individuals are looking for places where you can socialize, socialise and have a good time outside of visiting a pub or club,” stated its creator and organiser, Karan Singh, 21.

Together with his friend a partner, 21, Singh purchased game sets, printed promotional materials and started the chess club in January, during his final year of university. Within months, Singh reported their event has expanded to attract more than one hundred youthful players to its events.

“Such a venue has a particular connotation associated with it, about it seeming quiet. We really try to move in the opposite direction; it is a convivial get-together with chess involved,” he said.

Learning and Playing: An Alternative Generation of Players

For many, chess clubs are an introduction to the activity. One participant, 27, is learning how to play chess with other visitors of the weekly event at the venue. Her interest in the pastime was sparked after an enjoyable evening dancing and engaging in chess at one of Knight Club's events.

“It is a unique idea, but it works,” she said. “It promotes in-person interactions rather than screen-based activities. It's a no-cost third space to encounter new people. It's welcoming, one doesn't have to necessarily be good at chess.”

Kezia jokingly compared the trendiness of chess with young people to the superficial image of the “ostentatious intellectual”, an attempt to simulate intellectualism while signaling the appearance of “hipness”. If the chess craze has fostered a authentic passion in the game isn't a notion she's entirely sure about. “It's a wholesome phenomenon, but it’s very much a trend,” she observed. “When you compete against people who are truly dedicated about it, it rapidly becomes less enjoyable.”

Competitive Gaming and Togetherness

It may all be a some lighthearted activity for individuals aiming to use a game set as a networking tool, but serious players do have their place, albeit away from the dancefloor.

Lucia Ene-Lesikar, 22, who helps organise Knight Club,says that more skilled attenders have established a competitive ranking. “People who are in the league will play one another, we will progress to quarter-finals, advanced stages, and then we'll eventually have a champion.”

A dedicated player, 23, is a serious competitor and chess instructor. He joined in the league for about a twelve months and plays at the club nearly weekly. “This offers a nice alternative to engaging in serious chess; it provides a sense of belonging,” he said.

“It's interesting to see how it evolves into increasingly a communal pastime, because previously the sole people who played chess were people who rarely socialize; they just remained home. It's typically only a pair competing on a chessboard …

“The thing I like about this place is that you're not really playing against the computer, you're engaging with live opponents.”