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One of the most energetic spots on a Tuesday night in east London's Brick Lane isn't a dining spot or a streetwear brand pop-up, it's a chess gathering – or rather a chess and nightlife combination, precisely speaking.

Knight Club represents the unlikely blend between chess and the city's fervent nightlife culture. It was started by a young entrepreneur, 27, who launched his initial chess club in August 2023 at a more intimate bar in a nearby area, not too far from the current location at a popular cafe on Brick Lane.

“I wanted to create chess clubs for individuals who look like me and people my age,” he said. “Typically, chess is only put in spaces that are full of senior individuals, which is not diverse sufficiently.”

Initially, there were only eight boards shared by 16 people. Today, a “successful evening” at the weekly Knight Club will draw about two hundred eighty people.

At first glance, Knight Club feels more like a music night than a traditional chess meeting. Cocktails are being served and music is in the air, but the chessboards on each table aren't just ornamental or there as a novelty: they are all in use and encircled by a queue of spectators eagerly anticipating for their turn.

Jimmy Ifenayi, in her mid-twenties, has frequented the club often for the last four months. “I possessed no knowledge of chess prior to I came here, and the first time I tried it, I played a game with a grandmaster. It was a swift victory, but it made me intrigued to learn and continue enjoying chess,” she said.

“The event is about 50% social and 50% participants genuinely wanting to engage in chess … It's a pleasant way to relax, which avoids going to a club to meet others my generation.”

A Game Reborn: The Ancient Game in the Modern Age

Lately, chess has been firmly established in the societal spirit of the times. The popularity of online chess proliferated during the global health crisis, establishing it as one of the most rapidly expanding internet pastimes in the world. In popular culture, the streaming series The Queen’s Gambit, as well as Sally Rooney’s recent novel Intermezzo, have created a certain imagery associated with the game, which has drawn in a fresh wave of enthusiasts.

However a great deal of this newfound appeal of the chess club isn't always about the technicalities of the play; instead, it is the ease of social interaction that it facilitates, by pulling up a seat and engaging with someone who could be a total unknown individual.

“It's a brilliant clever disguise,” remarked one organizer, co-founder of a local venue in London, a bookshop, library, coffee house and bar, which has organized a well-attended chess club every Wednesday since it began four years ago. His aim is to “take chess off a pedestal and make it feel similar to pool in a dive bar”.

“It's a very simple vehicle to meet people. It kind of takes the weight of the necessity of conversation from interacting with people. One can handle the uncomfortable 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 the Capital

Elsewhere in the UK, Chesscafé is a recurring chess night taking place at a city cafe, just outside the city centre. “We found that people are seeking places where one can socialize, interact and enjoy a fun evening beyond going to a bar or nightclub,” said its founder and organiser, Karan Singh, in his early twenties.

Together with his friend a partner, also young, Singh purchased chessboards, created promotional materials and started the chess club in the start of the year, while in his final year of college. In less than a year, he reported their event has grown to draw over 100 young participants to its gatherings.

“Such a venue has a particular connotation associated with it, about it seeming quiet. Our approach is to move in the opposite way; it is a convivial party with chess involved,” he said.

Discovering and Engaging: A New Cohort of Chess Enthusiasts

For many, chess clubs are an entry point to the activity. One participant, in her late twenties, is picking up how to participate in chess with fellow visitors of chess night at the venue. Her interest in the game was piqued after an enjoyable evening dancing and engaging in chess at one of the club's events.

“It's a unique concept, but it functions well,” she said. “It encourages in-person exchanges rather than digital activities. It is a free third space to encounter strangers. It is welcoming, one doesn't have to necessarily be good at chess.”

Kezia humorously compared the trendiness of chess with the youth to the superficial image of the “performative male”, an attempt to simulate intellectualism while projecting the veneer of “hipness”. Whether the chess craze has cultivated a authentic interest in the game is not a notion she's entirely convinced by. “It is a positive trend, but it’s largely a trend,” she observed. “When you're playing against opponents who are really dedicated about it, it rapidly turns less fun.”

Competitive Play and Togetherness

It might seem like a some fun and games for individuals aiming to use a game set as a social vehicle, but competitive players certainly have their place, albeit off the main party area.

Another organizer, 22, who assists in running the club,explains that increasingly skilled players have formed a competitive ranking. “Participants who are part of the competition will face one another, we will go to early rounds, advanced stages, and then we will eventually have a league winner.”

Ryames Chan, 23, is a serious competitor and chess instructor. He joined the competition for about a twelve months and participates at the club nearly every week. “This offers a welcome alternative to engaging in intense chess; it provides a feeling of belonging,” he expressed.

“It is interesting to see how it becomes more of a communal pastime, because previously the only people who played chess were people who rarely socialize; they simply stayed home. It's typically just a pair playing on a chessboard …

“The thing appeals to me about here is that one isn't actually facing the digital opponent, you're engaging with live opponents.”