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Among the liveliest venues on a Tuesday evening in the East End's Brick Lane couldn't be a dining spot or a urban fashion label temporary shop, it is a chess club – or a chess club-nightclub hybrid, precisely speaking.

Knight Club embodies the surprising fusion between chess and London's fervent evening entertainment culture. It was founded by Yusuf Ntahilaja, 27, who launched his first chess club in the summer of 2023 at a more intimate bar in Aldgate, not too far from the current location at Café 1001 on Brick Lane.

“I wanted to create chess clubs for people who share my background and people my age,” he said. “Typically, chess is only placed in spaces that are full of senior individuals, which is not diverse sufficiently.”

Initially, there were just 8 boards shared by 16 people. Now, a “successful evening” at the weekly club event will draw about 280 attendees.

At first glance, the venue feels more like a music night than a traditional chess meeting. Mixed drinks are being served and music is playing, but the game boards on each table are not just decorative or there as a gimmick: they are all occupied and encircled by a queue of onlookers eagerly anticipating for their turn.

One regular, in her mid-twenties, has been attending Knight Club often for the last several months. “I possessed no knowledge of chess prior to my first visit, and the initial occasion I ever played, I competed in a game against a expert player. That was a swift win, but it made me intrigued to study and keep playing chess,” she noted.

“This gathering is about half networking and 50% people genuinely wishing to play chess … It is a pleasant way to relax, which avoids going to a typical nightspot to see others my age.”

An Activity Reborn: Chess in the Contemporary Era

Lately, chess has been cemented in the societal spirit of the times. Its appeal of online chess expanded rapidly throughout the pandemic, making it one of the most rapidly expanding internet games in the world. Across media, the Netflix series a hit show, as well as Sally Rooney’s recent novel a literary work, have created a distinct iconography associated with the sport, which has drawn in a new generation of enthusiasts.

But much of this recent attraction of the chess club isn't necessarily about the intricacies of the play; rather, it is the ease of connecting with others that it facilitates, by pulling up a seat and playing with a person who may be a total unknown individual.

“It's a brilliant clever disguise,” said one organizer, founder of Reference Point in London, a bookstore, library, coffee house and bar, which has organized a popular chess club every Wednesday since it began four years ago. Freud’s objective is to “take chess off a pedestal and transform it into similar to billiards in a dive bar”.

“It's a very easy tool to meet people. It kind of removes the weight of the need of conversation away from interacting with people. One can handle the uncomfortable bit of making an introduction and chatting to a new acquaintance across a game instead of with no context around it.”

Expanding the Network: Chess Nights Beyond the Capital

Elsewhere in the UK, Chesscafé is a regular chess night held at York’s Cafe, just outside the downtown area. “Our observation was that individuals are looking for spaces where you can go out, socialise and have a good time beyond visiting a bar or nightclub,” stated its creator and coordinator, Karan Singh, 21.

Alongside his friend a partner, 21, Singh purchased chessboards, printed flyers and started the chess club in the start of the year, while in his last year of university. Within months, Singh reported Chesscafé has expanded to draw more than 100 youthful participants to its gatherings.

“Such a venue has a specific connotation associated with it, about it being reserved. We really try to go the opposite way; 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 entry point to the activity. One participant, in her late twenties, is learning how to participate in chess with other attenders of the weekly event at the venue. Her interest in the game was sparked after an pleasurable night dancing and engaging in chess at one of the club's events.

“It's a unique concept, but it works,” she commented. “It promotes in-person exchanges instead of digital activities. It's a no-cost third space to encounter new people. It's welcoming, one doesn't have to necessarily be skilled at chess.”

She humorously likened the trendiness of chess with young people to the superficial image of the “performative male”, an attempt to simulate braininess while projecting the appearance of “coolness”. If the chess trend has fostered a genuine interest in the sport isn't something she's quite convinced by. “It's a positive trend, but it’s very much a fad,” she said. “Once you're playing with opponents who are truly dedicated about it, it rapidly becomes less enjoyable.”

Serious Play and Community

It might all be a some fun and games for individuals looking to employ a chessboard as a social vehicle, but competitive players certainly have their place, albeit away from the dancefloor.

Another organizer, 22, who assists in running the club,says that more competitive players have formed a competitive ranking. “Participants who are part of the competition will play one another, we will go to quarter-finals, advanced stages, and then we'll finally have a champion.”

A dedicated player, 23, is a competitive competitor and chess teacher. He joined in the league for about a year and plays at the club almost every week. “This is a nice alternative to playing intense chess; it provides a sense of belonging,” he said.

“It is fascinating to observe how it becomes more of a communal activity, because in the past the only people who engaged in chess were people who didn't go outside; they simply stayed home. It is usually only a pair playing on a game board …

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