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Among the most vibrant spots on a weekday night in the East End's Brick Lane couldn't be a restaurant or a streetwear brand pop-up, it's a chess club – or rather a chess club-nightclub combination, to be exact.

Knight Club embodies the surprising fusion between the classic game and London's fervent evening entertainment culture. It was founded by a young entrepreneur, in his late twenties, who began his initial chess club in the summer of 2023 at a smaller bar in a nearby area, a short distance from the present location at Café 1001 on Brick Lane.

“My goal was to create chess clubs for people who share my background and those my generation,” he explained. “Typically, chess is only put in environments that are dominated by senior individuals, which isn't diverse sufficiently.”

Initially, there were just 8 boards between sixteen people. Now, a “good night” at the weekly Knight Club will attract about 280 attendees.

At first glance, the venue seems closer to a music night than a traditional chess meeting. Cocktails are being served and tunes is in the air, but the game boards on every table are not just ornamental or there as a gimmick: they are all in use and surrounded by a line of spectators eagerly anticipating for their turn.

One regular, 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 tried it, I competed in a game against a expert player. That was a swift win, but it left me intrigued to study and keep playing chess,” she noted.

“This gathering is about 50% social and 50% participants genuinely wanting to play chess … It's a nice way to unwind, which doesn't involve going to a club to see other people my generation.”

A Game Revitalized: The Ancient Game in the Contemporary Age

Lately, chess has been cemented in the cultural zeitgeist. The popularity of online chess proliferated during the global health crisis, making it one of the most rapidly expanding internet pastimes globally. In popular culture, the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, along with the author's latest novel Intermezzo, have crafted a distinct imagery surrounding the sport, which has drawn in a new generation of enthusiasts.

But a great deal of this newfound attraction of the chess night isn't necessarily about the intricacies of the game; rather, it is the ease of connecting with others that it facilitates, by pulling up a chair and engaging with a person who could be a complete unknown individual.

“It's a great clever disguise,” remarked Jonah Freud, co-founder of a local venue in London, a bookshop, library, coffee house and lounge, which has hosted a well-attended chess club every Wednesday since it began several years back. Freud’s aim is to “take chess off a pedestal and transform it into like pool in a casual pub”.

“It's a very simple vehicle to meet people. It kind of removes the pressure of the necessity of conversation from socializing with people. One can do the uncomfortable bit of making an introduction and chatting to someone over a game rather than with no kind of context around it.”

Expanding the Network: Chess Nights Outside the Capital

Elsewhere in the UK, a similar initiative is a regular chess night taking place at a city cafe, just outside the city centre. “We found that individuals are looking for places where one can go out, interact and enjoy a fun evening outside of visiting a bar or nightclub,” said its creator and organiser, a young leader, in his early twenties.

Together with his associate Abdirahim Haji, 21, he bought chessboards, created promotional materials and started the chess club in the start of the year, while in his last year of university. In less than a year, Singh said their event has expanded to draw more than 100 young participants to its gatherings.

“Such a venue has a particular reputation associated with it, about it being quiet. Our approach is to move in the opposite direction; it's a convivial get-together with chess involved,” he said.

Learning and Engaging: An Alternative Cohort of Players

For many, chess clubs are an entry point to the game. Zoë Kezia, in her late twenties, is picking up how to participate in chess with fellow visitors of chess night at Reference Point. She became curious in the pastime was sparked after an pleasurable night dancing and playing chess at a previous the club's events.

“It's a strange concept, but it works,” she commented. “It encourages face-to-face interactions instead of screen-based activities. It's a free third space to meet strangers. It is welcoming, one doesn't need to necessarily be good at chess.”

Kezia jokingly likened the trendiness of chess with young people to the superficial image of the “performative male”, an attempt to simulate braininess while projecting the veneer of “coolness”. If the chess trend has cultivated a genuine interest in the game isn't something she's quite convinced by. “It's a wholesome phenomenon, but it’s very much a trend,” she said. “When you compete against people who are truly serious about it, it rapidly turns less enjoyable.”

Competitive Gaming and Community

It may seem like a some fun and games for individuals aiming to employ a game set as a networking tool, but serious participants do have their place, even if away from the dancefloor.

Lucia Ene-Lesikar, 22, who helps running Knight Club,says that increasingly competitive attenders have formed a competitive ranking. “Participants who are in the league will play one another, we'll go to quarter-finals, advanced stages, and then we'll finally have a champion.”

Ryames Chan, in his twenties, is a competitive player and chess instructor. He has been in the league for about a year and plays at the club almost weekly. “This offers a nice alternative to engaging in intense chess; it provides a feeling of community,” he expressed.

“It is fascinating to observe how it evolves into increasingly a social pastime, because in the past the sole individuals who played chess were those who didn't socialize; they just remained home. It is typically just a pair playing on a chessboard …

“The thing appeals to me about this place is that one isn't actually playing against the digital opponent, you're engaging with real people.”