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Among the liveliest locations on a Tuesday evening in east London's Brick Lane isn't a restaurant or a streetwear brand pop-up, it's a chess club – or a chess club-nightclub hybrid, precisely speaking.

This unique venue embodies the surprising crossover 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 initial chess club in the summer of 2023 at a more intimate bar in a nearby area, a short distance from the present location at a popular cafe on Brick Lane.

“I wanted to make chess clubs for people who share my background and those my age,” he explained. “Typically, chess is only put in spaces that are full of older people, which is not inclusive sufficiently.”

On the first night, there were just eight boards shared by sixteen people. Today, a “good night” at the regular club event will attract approximately 280 attendees.

At first glance, the venue feels closer to a music night than a chess club. 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 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 past several months. “I possessed little understanding of chess before my first visit, and the first time I tried it, I competed in a game with a expert player. It was a swift win, but it made me intrigued to learn and continue enjoying chess,” she said.

“This gathering is about half social and 50% people actually wishing to play chess … It's a pleasant way to relax, which doesn't involve going to a club to see others my age.”

A Game Revitalized: Chess in the Modern Age

Lately, chess has been firmly established in the societal spirit of the times. Its appeal of online chess proliferated during the pandemic, establishing it as one of the fastest-growing internet games globally. In popular culture, the Netflix series a hit show, along with the author's recent novel Intermezzo, have created a certain iconography associated with the sport, which has attracted a new generation of enthusiasts.

However much of this newfound attraction of the chess club isn't necessarily about the intricacies of the game; rather, it is the simplicity of connecting with others that it facilitates, by taking a chair and engaging with a person who could be a complete stranger.

“It's a brilliant clever disguise,” said one organizer, founder of a local venue in the city, a bookshop, library, cafe and bar, which has organized a well-attended chess club every Wednesday since it began four years ago. Freud’s aim is to “remove chess off a pedestal and make it feel like pool in a casual pub”.

“It is a very easy tool to meet people. It kind of takes the pressure of the need of conversation from interacting with people. You can do the uncomfortable bit of making an introduction and chatting to a new acquaintance across a board instead of with no kind of context involved.”

Growing the Network: Chess Nights Beyond London

Elsewhere in the UK, a similar initiative is a regular chess night held at a city cafe, just outside the downtown area. “We found that people are seeking spaces where you can socialize, socialise and enjoy a good time beyond visiting a bar or nightclub,” said its founder and organiser, a young leader, in his early twenties.

Together with his friend a partner, also young, Singh bought chessboards, created promotional materials and began the chess club in January, during his last year of college. Within months, he said Chesscafé has expanded to attract over 100 young players to its events.

“Such a venue has a specific connotation to it, about it being quiet. We really try to go the opposite direction; it is a convivial get-together with chess as part of it,” he emphasized.

Learning and Playing: An Alternative Generation of Players

For many, chess clubs are an introduction to the game. Zoë Kezia, in her late twenties, is learning how to participate in chess with fellow visitors of chess night at the venue. She became curious in the game was piqued after an pleasurable night moving to music and engaging in chess at a previous the club's occasions.

“It's a strange concept, but it functions well,” she commented. “It promotes face-to-face interactions rather than digital pastimes. It's a free third space to encounter new people. It is welcoming, one doesn't need to necessarily be good at chess.”

She humorously compared the trendiness of chess with the youth to the superficial image of the “performative male”, an attempt to feign intellectualism while signaling the veneer of “coolness”. Whether the chess trend has fostered a genuine passion in the sport isn't a notion she is quite convinced by. “It's a positive trend, but it’s very much a trend,” she said. “Once you're playing with opponents who are truly dedicated about it, it quickly turns less enjoyable.”

Serious Play and Togetherness

It might seem like a bit of fun and games for individuals looking to employ a game set as a networking tool, but competitive players do have their role, even if away from the main party area.

Another organizer, 22, who helps running Knight Club,says that increasingly skilled attenders have formed a competitive ranking. “People who are in the league will face each other, we'll go to early rounds, semi-finals, and then we will eventually have a champion.”

A dedicated player, 23, is a serious competitor and chess instructor. He joined in the league for about a year and participates at the club almost weekly. “This offers a nice option to playing intense chess; it gives a feeling of belonging,” he said.

“It's interesting to observe how it becomes more of a social pastime, because previously the only people who played chess were people who rarely socialize; they simply stayed home. It is typically just a pair playing on a game board …

“The thing appeals to me about this place is that you're not really facing the computer, you're engaging with live opponents.”