🔗 Share this article

Among the most energetic locations on a weekday evening in the East End's Brick Lane isn't a dining spot or a streetwear brand pop-up, it is a chess club – or a chess club-nightclub combination, to be exact.

This unique venue embodies the surprising blend between the classic game and London's dynamic evening entertainment scene. It was founded by a young entrepreneur, 27, who launched his initial chess club in August 2023 at a more intimate bar in a nearby area, a short distance from the present location at Café 1001 on the iconic lane.

“My goal was to create chess clubs for individuals who look like me and people my generation,” he said. “Typically, chess is only placed in spaces that are dominated by senior individuals, which isn't inclusive sufficiently.”

On the first night, there were just eight boards shared by 16 people. Today, a “good night” at the weekly club event will attract approximately two hundred eighty attendees.

Upon arrival, Knight Club seems closer to a music night than a traditional chess meeting. Mixed drinks are flowing and tunes is playing, but the game boards on each table are not just ornamental or there as a novelty: they are all occupied and encircled by a queue of spectators waiting for their turn.

Jimmy Ifenayi, 24, has been attending Knight Club often for the last several months. “I had little understanding of chess before my first visit, and the initial occasion I tried it, I competed in a game with a grandmaster. It was a quick victory, but it made me fascinated to learn and continue enjoying chess,” she said.

“The event is about half social and 50% people actually wishing to play chess … It's a nice way to relax, which avoids visiting a club to meet others my generation.”

A Game Reborn: Chess in the Contemporary Era

In recent years, chess has been firmly established in the cultural zeitgeist. The popularity of digital chess proliferated throughout the pandemic, establishing it as one of the most rapidly expanding online games in the world. In popular culture, the streaming series a hit show, as well as Sally Rooney’s recent novel a literary work, have created a distinct imagery associated with the game, which has drawn in a fresh generation of players.

However much of this newfound attraction of the chess night isn't always about the technicalities of the game; instead, it is the simplicity of connecting with others that it facilitates, by taking a chair and playing with a person who could be a total stranger.

“It is a brilliant clever disguise,” remarked one organizer, co-founder of a local venue in London, a bookstore, library, coffee house and bar, which has hosted a well-attended chess club every Wednesday since it began several years back. Freud’s objective is to “remove chess off a pedestal and make it feel similar to billiards in a casual pub”.

“It's a very easy vehicle to get to know people. It somewhat removes the weight of the necessity of conversation from interacting with people. One can do the uncomfortable bit of making an introduction and chatting to someone across a game rather than with no context involved.”

Expanding the Network: Chess Nights Beyond the Capital

In Birmingham, a similar initiative is a regular chess event taking place at a city cafe, just outside the downtown area. “We found that people are seeking spaces where you can socialize, socialise and enjoy a fun evening beyond visiting a bar or club,” said its creator and organiser, Karan Singh, 21.

Together with his friend Abdirahim Haji, 21, Singh purchased chessboards, created promotional materials and started the chess club in January, while in his final year of college. Within months, Singh reported their event has expanded to attract more than 100 young participants to its events.

“Such a venue has a particular connotation associated with it, about it seeming reserved. Our approach is to go the contrary direction; it's a social party with chess involved,” he emphasized.

Discovering and Engaging: A New Cohort of Players

Among numerous attendees, chess clubs are an entry point to the activity. One participant, 27, is learning how to participate in chess with fellow visitors of the weekly event at Reference Point. Her interest in the pastime was sparked after an pleasurable evening dancing and engaging in chess at a previous the club's events.

“It's a unique concept, but it works,” she commented. “It promotes in-person exchanges rather than digital activities. It is a free third space to meet strangers. It is inviting, one doesn't have to necessarily be skilled at chess.”

Kezia jokingly compared the trendiness of chess among the youth to the superficial image of the “performative male”, an attempt to feign braininess while projecting the veneer of “hipness”. Whether the chess trend has fostered a authentic passion in the game is not something she is entirely convinced by. “It is a positive trend, but it’s largely a trend,” she said. “When you're playing against people who are truly serious about it, it rapidly turns less fun.”

Serious Play and Community

It might all be a bit of fun and games for individuals looking to use a game set as a social vehicle, but competitive players certainly have their place, albeit off the dancefloor.

Another organizer, 22, who helps running Knight Club,explains that more skilled players have formed a league table. “Participants who are in the league will face one another, we will go to early rounds, semi-finals, and then we'll eventually have a league winner.”

Ryames Chan, 23, is a competitive competitor and chess instructor. He has been in the league for about a twelve months and participates at the club almost weekly. “This offers a welcome option to engaging in serious chess; it provides a feeling of belonging,” he said.

“It's fascinating to observe how it evolves into increasingly a social activity, because in the past the only people who engaged in chess were people who didn't socialize; they just remained home. It's typically only a pair playing on a game board …

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