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One of the liveliest locations on a weekday night in the East End's Brick Lane couldn't be a restaurant or a urban fashion label temporary shop, it is a chess club – or rather a chess club-nightclub combination, precisely speaking.

This unique venue embodies the unlikely blend between chess and London's fervent evening entertainment scene. It was started by Yusuf Ntahilaja, in his late twenties, who began his first chess club in the summer of 2023 at a smaller bar in a nearby area, a short distance from the current location at a popular cafe on Brick Lane.

“I wanted to make chess clubs for people who share my background and those my generation,” he said. “Typically, chess is only placed in environments that are dominated by senior individuals, which isn't diverse enough.”

Initially, there were only 8 boards shared by 16 people. Now, a “good night” at the regular club event will attract about 280 people.

Upon arrival, Knight Club feels more like a DJ event than a chess club. Mixed drinks are flowing and music is playing, but the game boards on each table aren't just ornamental or there as a novelty: they are all in use and surrounded by a queue of spectators eagerly anticipating for their turn.

One regular, in her mid-twenties, has frequented the club often for the last four months. “I possessed no knowledge of chess before my first visit, and the first time I tried it, I played a game against a expert player. It was a quick victory, but it made me fascinated to learn and continue enjoying chess,” she said.

“This gathering is about half social and 50% participants actually wishing to play chess … It is a pleasant way to unwind, which avoids going to a club to see other people my generation.”

A Game Reborn: The Ancient Game in the Contemporary Age

Lately, chess has been cemented in the cultural spirit of the times. The popularity of digital chess proliferated throughout the global health crisis, making it one of the most rapidly expanding online pastimes globally. In popular culture, the Netflix series a hit show, along with Sally Rooney’s latest novel Intermezzo, have created a distinct imagery associated with the game, which has attracted a fresh generation of players.

But a great deal of this recent attraction of the chess night is not necessarily about the intricacies of the game; rather, it is the simplicity of social interaction that it enables, by taking a chair and engaging with a person who may be a complete stranger.

“It is a brilliant clever disguise,” remarked Jonah Freud, co-founder of a local venue in the city, a bookstore, reading room, coffee house and lounge, which has hosted a popular chess club every Wednesday since it began several years back. Freud’s objective is to “take chess from its elite status and make it feel similar to pool in a dive bar”.

“It's a very easy vehicle to get to know people. It somewhat removes the weight of the need of small talk from socializing with people. You can handle the uncomfortable part of introducing yourself and chatting to someone over a board instead of with no kind of context involved.”

Expanding the Network: Chess Nights Outside the Capital

Elsewhere in the UK, a similar initiative is a recurring chess night held at York’s Cafe, near the city centre. “We found that individuals are seeking places where one can socialize, interact and have a good time beyond going to a bar or club,” said its founder and organiser, a young leader, 21.

Together with his associate Abdirahim Haji, also young, Singh purchased chessboards, printed promotional materials and began the chess club in the start of the year, while in his final year of university. Within months, Singh said their event has expanded to attract more than one hundred youthful players to its gatherings.

“Such a venue has a specific connotation to it, about it being reserved. Our approach is to move in the opposite direction; it is a convivial get-together with chess involved,” he said.

Discovering and Playing: A New Cohort of Chess Enthusiasts

Among numerous attendees, chess clubs are an entry point to the activity. Zoë Kezia, 27, is picking up how to play chess with fellow attenders of the weekly event at Reference Point. Her interest in the pastime was sparked after an enjoyable night dancing and playing chess at one of the club's occasions.

“It's a unique concept, but it works,” she said. “It promotes in-person exchanges instead of digital pastimes. It is a free third space to encounter new people. It is welcoming, one doesn't need to necessarily be good at chess.”

She humorously likened the trendiness of chess among the youth to the superficial image of the “performative male”, an attempt to feign intellectualism while signaling the appearance of “coolness”. Whether the chess craze has fostered a genuine passion in the game is not something she is quite sure about. “It is a wholesome trend, but it’s very much a trend,” she observed. “When you compete with people who are really serious about it, it quickly becomes less fun.”

Serious Play and Community

It might seem like a some lighthearted activity for individuals aiming to employ a game set as a networking tool, but competitive players do have their place, albeit away from the main party area.

Lucia Ene-Lesikar, 22, who helps organise Knight Club,says that more competitive players have established a competitive ranking. “People who are part of the competition will face 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 serious player and chess instructor. He joined in the league for about a twelve months and participates at the club almost every week. “This is a nice option to playing intense chess; it gives a feeling of belonging,” he expressed.

“It's fascinating to observe how it evolves into more of a social activity, because previously the sole individuals who engaged in chess were those who didn't socialize; they just stayed home. It is usually just two people competing on a chessboard …

“What I like about this place is that you're not really playing against the computer, you are facing live opponents.”