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Among the most vibrant venues on a weekday evening in east London's famous street couldn't be a dining spot or a streetwear label pop-up, it is a chess gathering – or a chess club-nightclub hybrid, to be exact.

Knight Club embodies the unlikely crossover between the classic game and the city's dynamic nightlife scene. It was started by a young entrepreneur, in his late twenties, who began his initial chess club in the summer of 2023 at a more intimate bar in a nearby area, a short distance from the current location at a popular cafe on Brick Lane.

“I wanted to create chess clubs for people who look like me and those my age,” he explained. “Typically, chess is only placed in environments that are full of older people, which is not diverse enough.”

Initially, there were only 8 boards between sixteen people. Today, a “successful evening” at the weekly Knight Club will draw about 280 people.

At first glance, Knight Club feels more like a music night than a traditional chess meeting. Cocktails are being served and music is playing, but the game boards on every table aren't just decorative or there as a gimmick: they are all in use and encircled by a line of onlookers eagerly anticipating for their chance to play.

Jimmy Ifenayi, 24, has frequented 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 played a game against a grandmaster. It was a quick victory, but it left me intrigued to learn and continue enjoying chess,” she said.

“The event is about 50% social and half people actually wanting to play chess … It is a pleasant way to unwind, which doesn't involve visiting a typical nightspot to meet other people my age.”

An Activity Revitalized: Chess in the Contemporary Era

In recent years, chess has been cemented in the cultural spirit of the times. The popularity of digital chess proliferated during the global health crisis, making it one of the fastest-growing online games in the world. Across media, the Netflix series a hit show, as well as Sally Rooney’s recent novel Intermezzo, have crafted a distinct imagery surrounding the game, which has drawn in a new generation of enthusiasts.

But much of this recent attraction of the chess club is not always about the intricacies of the play; instead, it is the ease of connecting with others that it enables, by pulling up a seat and engaging with someone 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, reading room, cafe and bar, which has hosted a popular chess club every Wednesday since it began four years ago. Freud’s objective is to “take chess off a pedestal and make it feel like billiards in a dive bar”.

“It is a very easy tool to meet people. It kind of removes the pressure of the necessity of small talk from socializing with people. One can do the uncomfortable part of introducing yourself and chatting to a new acquaintance across a game instead of with no context around it.”

Growing the Community: Chess Nights Outside London

In Birmingham, a similar initiative is a recurring chess night taking place at a city cafe, near the downtown area. “Our observation was that people are seeking places where one can go out, socialise and enjoy a good time outside of visiting a pub or nightclub,” stated its founder and organiser, a young leader, 21.

Together with his friend a partner, 21, Singh purchased game sets, created promotional materials and began the chess club in January, during his final year of college. In less than a year, Singh said Chesscafé has grown to attract more than one hundred youthful participants to its gatherings.

“A chess club has a specific connotation to it, about it seeming quiet. Our approach is to go the opposite direction; it is a social get-together with chess involved,” he emphasized.

Learning and Playing: An Alternative Cohort of Chess Enthusiasts

Among numerous attendees, chess clubs are an introduction to the activity. One participant, 27, is picking up how to participate in chess with fellow attenders of chess night at Reference Point. She became curious in the pastime was piqued after an pleasurable evening dancing and playing chess at a previous Knight Club's occasions.

“It's a strange idea, but it works,” she said. “It encourages in-person interactions instead of screen-based pastimes. It is a no-cost third space to encounter new people. It is welcoming, one doesn't have to necessarily be good at chess.”

She jokingly compared the popularity of chess among young people to the facade of the “performative male”, an effort to simulate intellectualism while projecting the veneer of “hipness”. If the chess craze has fostered a genuine interest in the sport isn't something she is entirely sure about. “It's a positive phenomenon, but it’s largely a fad,” she said. “When you compete with people who are really dedicated about it, it quickly becomes less enjoyable.”

Competitive Play and Togetherness

It might seem like a some lighthearted activity for individuals aiming to employ a chessboard as a networking tool, but serious players certainly have their place, even if off the main party area.

Lucia Ene-Lesikar, in her early twenties, who helps organise Knight Club,says that more competitive attenders have established a competitive ranking. “Participants who are in the league will play one another, we'll progress to early rounds, semi-finals, and then we'll finally have a league winner.”

A dedicated player, in his twenties, is a competitive player and chess teacher. He joined the competition for about a year and plays at the club almost weekly. “This offers a nice alternative to playing intense chess; it gives a sense of belonging,” he said.

“It is interesting to observe how it becomes more of a social activity, because previously the sole people who played chess were people who didn't socialize; they just remained home. It is usually just a pair playing on a game board …

“What appeals to me about this place is that you're not really playing against the digital opponent, you're engaging with live opponents.”