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Among the most energetic venues on a weekday night in the East End's famous street isn't a dining spot or a urban fashion label temporary shop, it's a chess club – or a chess and nightlife combination, precisely speaking.

This unique venue embodies the surprising blend between the classic game and London's fervent nightlife culture. It was founded by a young entrepreneur, 27, who launched his first chess club in August 2023 at a smaller bar in Aldgate, a short distance from the current location at Café 1001 on Brick Lane.

“My goal was to create chess clubs for people who look like me and those my age,” he explained. “Typically, chess is only put in spaces that are dominated by older people, which isn't inclusive enough.”

Initially, there were only 8 boards between sixteen people. Today, a “successful evening” at the regular Knight Club will draw approximately two hundred eighty attendees.

Upon arrival, Knight Club feels more like a DJ event than a chess club. Mixed drinks are being served and music is in the air, but the chessboards on every table aren't just decorative or there as a novelty: they are all occupied and surrounded by a queue of spectators waiting for their turn.

Jimmy Ifenayi, 24, has been attending the club regularly for the last several months. “I possessed no knowledge of chess prior to I came here, and the initial occasion I ever played, I played a game against a expert player. That was a swift win, but it made me intrigued to study and keep playing chess,” she noted.

“The event is about 50% networking and half participants genuinely wishing to play chess … It is a nice way to unwind, which avoids visiting a club to see others my age.”

A Game Reborn: The Ancient Game in the Contemporary Age

Lately, chess has been cemented in the societal spirit of the times. The popularity of digital chess proliferated during the pandemic, making it one of the fastest-growing internet games globally. Across media, the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, as well as Sally Rooney’s latest novel Intermezzo, have created a certain iconography surrounding the game, which has attracted a fresh generation of players.

But a great deal of this recent attraction of the chess night is not necessarily about the technicalities of the game; 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 brilliant clever disguise,” remarked Jonah Freud, co-founder of a local venue in London, a bookshop, library, cafe and bar, which has organized a well-attended chess club weekly since it began several years back. His objective is to “remove chess off a pedestal and make it feel similar to billiards in a dive bar”.

“It's a very simple tool to get to know people. It somewhat removes the pressure of the necessity of small talk from interacting with people. You can do the uncomfortable bit of making an introduction and chatting to a new acquaintance across a board rather than with no kind of shared activity involved.”

Expanding the Community: Social Gatherings Beyond the Capital

In Birmingham, a similar initiative is a recurring chess night held at a city cafe, just outside the downtown area. “Our observation was that individuals are seeking spaces where one can go out, socialise and enjoy a fun evening outside of visiting a pub or club,” stated its founder and coordinator, Karan Singh, 21.

Together with his associate a partner, 21, he bought game sets, printed flyers and began the chess club in the start of the year, while in his last year of university. Within months, he said their event has expanded to draw over 100 youthful players to its gatherings.

“A chess club has a specific reputation associated with it, about it being quiet. We really try to go the contrary direction; it's a social get-together with chess involved,” he said.

Discovering and Engaging: A New Generation of Players

For many, chess clubs are an entry point to the activity. Zoë Kezia, in her late twenties, is learning how to play chess with other attenders of chess night at the venue. She became curious in the game was piqued after an pleasurable evening moving to music and engaging in chess at a previous Knight Club's events.

“It's a unique concept, but it functions well,” she said. “It promotes in-person interactions instead of digital pastimes. It's a free third space to encounter new people. It's inviting, you don't need to necessarily be skilled at chess.”

She humorously compared the trendiness of chess among young people to the facade of the “performative male”, an attempt to simulate intellectualism while projecting the veneer of “hipness”. Whether the chess craze has fostered a authentic passion in the sport isn't something she's quite convinced by. “It's a wholesome phenomenon, but it’s very much a fad,” she said. “When you're playing with opponents who are really dedicated about it, it rapidly becomes less fun.”

Serious Play and Togetherness

It may seem like a some fun and games for individuals looking to use a game set as a social vehicle, but competitive players do have their place, even if away from the dancefloor.

Lucia Ene-Lesikar, 22, who assists in organise the club,explains that more skilled players have formed a league table. “Participants who are part of the competition will play one another, we will go to early rounds, advanced stages, and then we'll eventually have a league winner.”

A dedicated player, in his twenties, is a serious competitor and chess teacher. He has been in the league for about a twelve months and participates at the club nearly every week. “This is a welcome option to playing serious chess; it gives a sense of belonging,” he said.

“It is interesting to see how it becomes more of a communal pastime, because previously the sole individuals who engaged in chess were those who rarely go outside; they simply remained home. It's usually only two people competing on a game board …

“The thing appeals to me about this place is that one isn't really facing the digital opponent, you're engaging with live opponents.”