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One of the most energetic locations on a Tuesday night in east London's Brick Lane isn't a dining spot or a urban fashion label temporary shop, it's a chess club – or rather a chess club-nightclub combination, precisely speaking.

Knight Club represents the surprising fusion between chess and the city's dynamic evening entertainment culture. It was started by a young entrepreneur, in his late twenties, who launched his initial chess club in the summer of 2023 at a smaller bar in Aldgate, a short distance from the present location at Café 1001 on Brick Lane.

“I wanted to make chess clubs for people who share my background and those my age,” he explained. “Usually, chess is only placed in spaces that are full of senior individuals, which isn't inclusive enough.”

Initially, there were just 8 boards between 16 people. Today, a “good night” at the weekly Knight Club will attract approximately 280 attendees.

At first glance, the venue feels more like a DJ event than a chess club. Cocktails are being served and tunes is in the air, but the game boards on each table aren't just ornamental or there as a gimmick: they are all occupied and encircled by a queue of onlookers eagerly anticipating for their chance to play.

One regular, 24, has been attending Knight Club often for the last several months. “I possessed little understanding of chess prior to my first visit, and the first time I tried it, I competed in a game against a grandmaster. That was a quick win, but it made me fascinated to learn and continue enjoying chess,” she noted.

“This gathering is about half social and half participants actually wanting to play chess … It's a nice way to relax, which avoids going to a typical nightspot to meet others my generation.”

A Game Revitalized: Chess in the Modern Age

In recent years, chess has been cemented in the cultural spirit of the times. The popularity of digital chess proliferated during the pandemic, making it one of the fastest-growing internet games in the world. In popular culture, the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, along with Sally Rooney’s latest novel a literary work, have created a certain imagery associated with the game, which has drawn in a new wave of players.

But a great deal of this newfound appeal of the chess night is not always about the intricacies of the play; instead, it is the simplicity of connecting with others that it facilitates, by taking a chair and playing with someone who could be a complete unknown individual.

“It's a brilliant Trojan horse,” remarked one organizer, co-founder of Reference Point in the city, a bookstore, library, coffee house and bar, which has organized a well-attended chess club every Wednesday since it began several years back. Freud’s aim is to “take chess from its elite status and transform it into similar to pool in a casual pub”.

“It's a very simple tool to get to know people. It kind of takes the weight of the necessity of small talk from interacting with people. You can do the awkward bit of making an introduction and chatting to someone over a board rather than with no context around it.”

Expanding the Network: Social Gatherings Beyond London

In Birmingham, Chesscafé is a regular chess night taking place at York’s Cafe, just outside the downtown area. “Our observation was that people are seeking places where you can go out, socialise and enjoy a good time outside of going to a pub or nightclub,” stated its creator and organiser, a young leader, 21.

Alongside his associate Abdirahim Haji, 21, Singh purchased chessboards, created flyers and began the chess club in January, during his final year of college. In less than a year, he reported Chesscafé has grown to attract more than one hundred young players to its events.

“A chess club has a particular reputation to it, about it being quiet. Our approach is to move in the opposite direction; it is a social party with chess as part of it,” he said.

Discovering and Engaging: A New Generation of Chess Enthusiasts

For many, chess clubs are an entry point to the game. Zoë Kezia, in her late twenties, is learning how to play chess with fellow visitors of chess night at Reference Point. She became curious in the game was piqued 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 functions well,” she said. “It promotes in-person interactions instead of screen-based activities. It is a free neutral ground to meet new people. It's welcoming, one doesn't have to necessarily be good at chess.”

She humorously compared the trendiness of chess with the youth to the superficial image of the “ostentatious intellectual”, an effort to simulate braininess while signaling the veneer of “hipness”. Whether the chess trend has cultivated a authentic passion in the sport isn't something she is entirely sure about. “It's a wholesome phenomenon, but it’s largely a trend,” she said. “Once you're playing against people who are truly serious about it, it rapidly becomes less fun.”

Serious Play and Community

It may all be a bit of fun and games for individuals aiming to use a chessboard as a networking tool, but serious players do have their place, albeit away from the main party area.

Lucia Ene-Lesikar, in her early twenties, who assists in running Knight Club,says that more competitive attenders have formed a competitive ranking. “Participants who are part of the competition will play each other, we will progress to early rounds, advanced stages, and then we will eventually have a champion.”

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

“It's interesting to observe how it evolves into increasingly a communal pastime, because in the past the only individuals who engaged in chess were those who didn't go outside; they just stayed home. It's usually only two people playing on a game board …

“The thing I like about here is that one isn't really facing the digital opponent, you are engaging with live opponents.”