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Among the liveliest spots on a Tuesday evening in east London's famous street isn't a restaurant or a streetwear label pop-up, it is a chess gathering – or rather a chess and nightlife fusion, precisely speaking.

This unique venue represents the surprising blend between the classic game and London's dynamic nightlife scene. It was started by a young entrepreneur, 27, who launched his first chess club in the summer of 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 generation,” he explained. “Typically, chess is only put in environments that are full of older people, which isn't inclusive sufficiently.”

On the first night, there were just eight boards between 16 people. Today, a “successful evening” at the weekly Knight Club will attract about two hundred eighty attendees.

Upon arrival, the venue seems more like a DJ event than a chess club. Mixed drinks are flowing and music is in the air, but the game boards on each table are not just decorative or there as a novelty: they are all occupied and encircled by a line of onlookers eagerly anticipating for their chance to play.

Jimmy Ifenayi, 24, has been attending the club regularly for the last four months. “I had little understanding of chess prior to my first visit, and the initial occasion I tried it, I competed in a game against a grandmaster. That was a quick win, but it made me fascinated to study and continue enjoying chess,” she said.

“The event is about half networking and half people genuinely wishing to engage in chess … It is a nice way to unwind, which avoids visiting a typical nightspot to see others my generation.”

A Game Revitalized: Chess in the Modern Age

In recent years, chess has been cemented in the societal spirit of the times. Its appeal of online chess expanded rapidly during the global health crisis, making it one of the fastest-growing internet pastimes globally. Across media, the Netflix series a hit show, along with Sally Rooney’s recent novel Intermezzo, have crafted a certain iconography surrounding the sport, which has attracted a new generation of enthusiasts.

But a great deal of this newfound appeal of the chess night is not necessarily about the technicalities of the play; rather, it is the simplicity of connecting with others that it facilitates, by taking a chair and engaging with a person who could be a complete unknown individual.

“It is a brilliant Trojan horse,” said Jonah Freud, co-founder of a local venue in London, a bookstore, library, cafe and bar, which has hosted a popular chess club every Wednesday since it opened several years back. His objective is to “take chess off a pedestal and make it feel like pool in a dive bar”.

“It's a very simple tool to meet people. It somewhat takes the weight of the need of small talk from interacting with people. One can do the awkward bit of introducing yourself and chatting to someone across a game instead of with no context involved.”

Growing the Community: Social Gatherings Outside the Capital

In Birmingham, Chesscafé is a recurring chess event held at York’s Cafe, just outside the downtown area. “We found that individuals are seeking spaces where one can socialize, interact and enjoy a good time beyond going to a pub or club,” stated its creator and coordinator, a young leader, in his early twenties.

Together with his associate Abdirahim Haji, also young, Singh purchased chessboards, printed 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, he said Chesscafé has expanded to draw more than one hundred youthful players to its gatherings.

“A chess club has a particular reputation associated with it, about it being reserved. Our approach is to go the opposite way; it's a convivial party with chess involved,” he emphasized.

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 Reference Point. She became curious in the game was sparked after an enjoyable evening moving to music and playing chess at a previous the club's events.

“It is a strange concept, but it functions well,” she said. “It promotes in-person interactions rather than screen-based pastimes. It is a free third space to encounter new people. It's welcoming, you don't have to necessarily be skilled at chess.”

Kezia jokingly compared the popularity of chess with the youth to the facade of the “ostentatious intellectual”, an attempt to simulate braininess while signaling the appearance of “coolness”. Whether the chess trend has cultivated a genuine interest in the sport is not a notion she is quite sure about. “It's a positive trend, but it’s very much a trend,” she observed. “Once you're playing against people who are really dedicated about it, it quickly becomes less fun.”

Competitive Gaming and Togetherness

It might all be a bit of lighthearted activity for individuals looking to employ a chessboard as a networking tool, but serious participants certainly have their place, even if away from the dancefloor.

Lucia Ene-Lesikar, in her early twenties, who assists in organise the club,explains that more competitive players have formed a competitive ranking. “People who are part of the competition will face one another, we will go to early rounds, advanced stages, and then we will finally have a champion.”

Ryames Chan, 23, is a competitive player and chess instructor. He joined in the league for about a year and plays at the club nearly weekly. “This is a nice alternative to engaging in serious chess; it gives a sense of community,” he expressed.

“It's interesting to see how it becomes more of a communal pastime, because in the past the sole individuals who played chess were people who didn't go outside; they simply remained home. It's usually only two people playing on a game board …

“The thing I like about this place is that one isn't really facing the computer, you're facing live opponents.”