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One of the most vibrant locations on a weekday evening in the East End's Brick Lane isn't a dining spot or a streetwear brand pop-up, it is a chess club – or rather a chess club-nightclub fusion, precisely speaking.

Knight Club embodies the surprising fusion between the classic game and the city's dynamic nightlife culture. It was started by Yusuf Ntahilaja, 27, who launched his first chess club in August 2023 at a smaller bar in Aldgate, not too far from the present location at Café 1001 on the iconic lane.

“My goal was to make chess clubs for people who look like me and people my age,” he said. “Typically, chess is only placed in spaces that are dominated by older people, which isn't inclusive enough.”

On the first night, there were only 8 boards shared by sixteen people. Now, a “good night” at the weekly club event will attract about two hundred eighty attendees.

At first glance, the venue feels more like a DJ event than a chess club. Cocktails are being served and music is in the air, but the game boards on each table aren't just decorative or there as a gimmick: they are all occupied and encircled by a queue of spectators eagerly anticipating for their chance to play.

One regular, 24, has been attending Knight Club often for the past several months. “I had no knowledge of chess before my first visit, and the first time I ever played, I competed in a game with a expert player. That was a quick win, but it left me fascinated to learn and keep playing chess,” she noted.

“This gathering is about 50% social and half people actually wanting to engage in chess … It's a nice way to relax, which doesn't involve going to a club to see other people my age.”

An Activity Reborn: Chess in the Contemporary Age

Lately, chess has been firmly established in the cultural zeitgeist. The popularity of online chess proliferated throughout the global health crisis, making it one of the most rapidly expanding online games globally. Across media, the Netflix series a hit show, along with Sally Rooney’s latest novel a literary work, have created a distinct iconography associated with the game, which has drawn in a new wave of enthusiasts.

However much of this newfound appeal of the chess club isn't always about the intricacies of the game; rather, it is the ease of connecting with others that it enables, by taking a seat and engaging with someone who could be a complete unknown individual.

“It is a great Trojan horse,” said one organizer, co-founder of Reference Point in the city, a bookstore, library, cafe and bar, which has hosted a popular chess club weekly since it began several years back. His aim is to “take chess off a pedestal and transform it into similar to billiards in a casual pub”.

“It's a really simple vehicle to meet people. It somewhat takes the pressure of the need of small talk from interacting with people. One can handle the uncomfortable bit of making an introduction and chatting to a new acquaintance across a game instead of with no context involved.”

Expanding the Network: Chess Nights Beyond London

Elsewhere in the UK, Chesscafé is a regular chess night held at York’s Cafe, near the downtown area. “Our observation was that people are looking for spaces where one can socialize, socialise and have a fun evening outside of going to a bar or club,” said its creator and organiser, a young leader, 21.

Alongside his associate a partner, 21, he bought game sets, created promotional materials and began the chess club in January, during his final year of university. In less than a year, he reported their event has expanded to attract more than 100 youthful players to its events.

“Such a venue has a specific reputation to it, about it being quiet. Our approach is to move in the contrary way; it is a convivial get-together with chess as part of it,” he emphasized.

Discovering and Playing: A New Generation of Players

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

“It's a strange concept, but it functions well,” she commented. “It promotes in-person exchanges rather than screen-based activities. It's a no-cost third space to encounter new people. It's welcoming, you don't have to necessarily be skilled at chess.”

She jokingly compared the trendiness of chess among the youth to the facade of the “ostentatious intellectual”, an attempt to simulate braininess while projecting the appearance of “coolness”. If the chess craze has cultivated a genuine passion in the sport is not something she's entirely convinced by. “It's a positive trend, but it’s largely a fad,” she said. “Once you're playing against people who are truly serious about it, it quickly becomes less enjoyable.”

Serious Play and Community

It may all be a some fun and games for individuals aiming to use a chessboard as a networking tool, but competitive participants certainly have their place, albeit off the main party area.

Lucia Ene-Lesikar, in her early twenties, who helps organise the club,says that increasingly competitive players have formed a league table. “Participants who are in the league will face each other, we'll go to quarter-finals, advanced stages, and then we will finally have a champion.”

A dedicated player, in his twenties, is a serious competitor and chess instructor. He joined the competition for about a year and plays at the club nearly every week. “This offers a welcome option to engaging in intense chess; it gives a feeling of belonging,” he said.

“It's interesting to see how it becomes increasingly a communal activity, because previously the sole people who engaged in chess were people who rarely go outside; they just remained home. It's usually just two people playing on a chessboard …

“What I like about this place is that you're not really facing the digital opponent, you're facing live opponents.”