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One of the most vibrant spots on a Tuesday night in east London's Brick Lane couldn't be a restaurant or a streetwear label temporary shop, it's a chess club – or a chess and nightlife hybrid, to be exact.

Knight Club represents the unlikely blend between chess and London's fervent evening entertainment culture. It was founded by a young entrepreneur, 27, who launched his first chess club in the summer of 2023 at a smaller bar in Aldgate, not too far from the current location at a popular cafe on Brick Lane.

“I wanted to create chess clubs for people who share my background and those my age,” he explained. “Usually, chess is only put in spaces that are dominated by older people, which isn't inclusive sufficiently.”

Initially, there were just 8 boards between sixteen people. Now, a “successful evening” at the regular club event will draw approximately 280 attendees.

Upon arrival, the venue seems closer to a DJ event than a chess club. Cocktails are being served and music is playing, but the chessboards on every table are not just decorative or there as a novelty: they are all in use and surrounded by a queue of spectators eagerly anticipating for their chance to play.

One regular, in her mid-twenties, has frequented Knight Club regularly for the past four months. “I had little understanding of chess prior to I came here, and the initial occasion I ever played, I played a game against a grandmaster. It was a quick win, but it made me intrigued to study and keep playing chess,” she said.

“The event is about half networking and half participants actually wanting to engage in chess … It is a nice way to decompress, which doesn't involve visiting a typical nightspot to see others my age.”

An Activity Revitalized: The Ancient Game in the Modern Era

Lately, chess has been cemented in the societal zeitgeist. The popularity of online chess expanded rapidly throughout the global health crisis, making it one of the most rapidly expanding internet games globally. Across media, the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, as well as the author's recent novel a literary work, have created a certain imagery associated with the game, which has drawn in a new wave of players.

However much of this recent attraction of the chess club is not always about the intricacies of the play; instead, it is the simplicity of connecting with others that it enables, by taking a chair and engaging with someone who could be a complete unknown individual.

“It's a brilliant Trojan horse,” remarked Jonah Freud, co-founder of a local venue in the city, a bookshop, library, cafe and lounge, which has hosted a well-attended chess club weekly since it opened several years back. Freud’s aim is to “remove chess off a pedestal and transform it into like pool in a casual pub”.

“It's a really simple vehicle to get to know people. It somewhat takes the weight of the need of small talk away from interacting with people. You can handle the awkward part of making an introduction and chatting to someone across a board rather than with no kind of context around it.”

Expanding the Community: Chess Nights Outside London

Elsewhere in the UK, a similar initiative is a recurring chess night held at York’s Cafe, near the downtown area. “Our observation was that individuals are looking for spaces where one can socialize, interact and have a fun evening beyond going to a bar or club,” said its creator and coordinator, a young leader, 21.

Alongside his associate a partner, 21, Singh purchased game sets, printed promotional materials and started the chess club in January, while in his final year of university. Within months, he said Chesscafé has expanded to attract over one hundred young participants to its gatherings.

“A chess club has a specific connotation associated with it, about it being quiet. Our approach is to move in the contrary direction; it is a convivial get-together with chess involved,” he emphasized.

Learning and Engaging: A New Cohort of Chess Enthusiasts

For many, chess clubs are an introduction to the activity. Zoë Kezia, 27, is picking up how to participate in chess with fellow attenders of the weekly event at Reference Point. Her interest in the game was sparked after an enjoyable night moving to music and engaging in chess at a previous Knight Club's events.

“It is a unique concept, but it works,” she commented. “It encourages face-to-face interactions rather than screen-based activities. It's a no-cost third space to encounter new people. It's inviting, you don't need to necessarily be good at chess.”

She humorously likened the trendiness of chess among young people to the facade of the “ostentatious intellectual”, an attempt to simulate braininess while signaling the appearance of “coolness”. Whether the chess trend has fostered a genuine interest in the sport is not a notion she is entirely sure about. “It's a wholesome trend, but it’s largely a trend,” she said. “Once you're playing with people who are truly serious about it, it rapidly turns less fun.”

Competitive Gaming and Togetherness

It may seem like a bit of lighthearted activity for individuals aiming to employ a game set as a social vehicle, but competitive players do have their place, even if away from the dancefloor.

Another organizer, 22, who helps running Knight Club,says that increasingly competitive players have formed a league table. “Participants who are in the league will face each other, we will go to quarter-finals, advanced stages, and then we'll eventually have a league winner.”

A dedicated player, in his twenties, is a competitive competitor and chess instructor. He joined in the league for about a year and participates at the club nearly weekly. “This is a welcome alternative to playing serious chess; it gives a feeling of community,” he said.

“It is fascinating to see how it becomes more of a communal pastime, because in the past the only individuals who played chess were those who rarely socialize; they just stayed home. It is usually just two people playing on a game board …

“What I like about this place is that you're not really playing against the digital opponent, you're engaging with real people.”