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One of the liveliest venues on a Tuesday evening in east London's Brick Lane couldn't be a dining spot or a urban fashion brand temporary shop, it's a chess gathering – or a chess and nightlife fusion, to be exact.

Knight Club represents the unlikely fusion between chess and the city's dynamic evening entertainment culture. It was started by a young entrepreneur, in his late twenties, who began his initial chess club in August 2023 at a more intimate bar in Aldgate, a short distance from the present location at a popular cafe on Brick Lane.

“I wanted to make chess clubs for people who look like me and those my age,” he explained. “Typically, chess is only placed in environments that are dominated by senior individuals, which is not diverse sufficiently.”

On the first night, there were only 8 boards shared by 16 people. Now, a “successful evening” at the weekly club event will draw approximately two hundred eighty attendees.

Upon arrival, the venue feels more like a DJ event than a chess club. Cocktails are being served and music is playing, but the chessboards on every table are not just decorative or there as a novelty: they are all occupied and surrounded by a line of spectators waiting for their turn.

One regular, in her mid-twenties, has frequented Knight Club often for the past several months. “I had 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 swift win, but it left me fascinated to study and keep playing chess,” she said.

“The event is about 50% networking and 50% participants genuinely wishing to play chess … It's a pleasant way to relax, which avoids going to a club to meet others my age.”

An Activity Revitalized: The Ancient Game in the Modern Era

Lately, chess has been firmly established in the societal zeitgeist. Its appeal of online chess expanded rapidly throughout the pandemic, establishing it as one of the fastest-growing internet pastimes in the world. In popular culture, the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, as well as Sally Rooney’s recent novel Intermezzo, have crafted a distinct imagery associated with the sport, which has attracted a fresh wave of enthusiasts.

However a great deal of this recent attraction of the chess club isn't always about the intricacies of the game; instead, it is the simplicity of social interaction that it enables, by taking a seat and playing with a person who could be a complete stranger.

“It's 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 well-attended chess club every Wednesday since it began four years ago. His objective is to “take chess off a pedestal and transform it into similar to pool in a dive bar”.

“It is a really easy tool to get to know people. It kind of removes the pressure of the need of conversation away from interacting with people. One can do the uncomfortable part of making an introduction and chatting to a new acquaintance over a board instead of with no kind of shared activity around it.”

Growing the Community: Social Gatherings Beyond the Capital

In Birmingham, a similar initiative is a recurring chess night held at York’s Cafe, just outside the city centre. “We found that people are seeking spaces where one can socialize, socialise and enjoy a fun evening beyond visiting a pub or club,” stated its founder and organiser, Karan Singh, in his early twenties.

Alongside his friend a partner, also young, he bought game sets, printed promotional materials and began the chess club in January, while in his final year of college. In less than a year, he said Chesscafé has grown to draw more than 100 youthful players to its gatherings.

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

Learning and Engaging: An Alternative Cohort of Players

For many, chess clubs are an entry point to the game. One participant, in her late twenties, is learning how to play chess with other attenders of chess night at Reference Point. Her interest in the pastime was piqued after an pleasurable night dancing and engaging in chess at a previous the club's events.

“It's a unique concept, but it functions well,” she commented. “It encourages face-to-face exchanges rather than screen-based pastimes. It's a free neutral ground to meet new people. It is welcoming, you don't need to necessarily be skilled at chess.”

She jokingly likened the trendiness of chess among young people to the facade of the “performative male”, an effort to feign braininess while projecting the appearance of “coolness”. Whether the chess trend has cultivated a genuine interest in the sport is not something she is entirely sure about. “It's a positive trend, but it’s very much a fad,” she observed. “When you compete with people who are really dedicated about it, it quickly becomes less enjoyable.”

Serious Play and Community

It might seem like a some lighthearted activity for individuals aiming to use a game set as a networking tool, but competitive participants do have their role, even if off the main party area.

Another organizer, 22, who helps running the club,says that more competitive attenders have established a league table. “People who are part of the competition will face each other, we will progress to quarter-finals, semi-finals, and then we'll finally have a league winner.”

Ryames Chan, in his twenties, is a competitive player and chess teacher. He joined in the league for about a year and plays at the club almost every week. “This is a nice option to playing serious chess; it gives a feeling of community,” he said.

“It's fascinating to see how it becomes more of a social pastime, because previously the sole people who engaged in chess were those who didn't go outside; they just stayed home. It's typically just a pair competing on a chessboard …

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