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One of the most energetic locations on a Tuesday night in east London's Brick Lane isn't a restaurant or a urban fashion label temporary shop, it is a chess gathering – or rather a chess club-nightclub hybrid, to be exact.

Knight Club represents the surprising fusion between chess and London's fervent evening entertainment culture. 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 Aldgate, not too far from the present location at Café 1001 on Brick Lane.

“My goal was to create chess clubs for people who share my background and those my generation,” he said. “Typically, chess is only put in spaces that are full of older people, which is not diverse sufficiently.”

On the first night, there were only 8 boards between sixteen people. Now, a “successful evening” at the regular Knight Club will draw approximately 280 people.

At first glance, Knight Club feels closer to a DJ event than a chess club. Mixed drinks are being served and music is in the air, but the chessboards on every table are not just decorative or there as a gimmick: they are all in use and encircled by a queue of spectators waiting for their turn.

Jimmy Ifenayi, 24, has frequented Knight Club often for the past several months. “I possessed no knowledge of chess prior to I came here, and the initial occasion I ever played, I played a game with a expert player. It was a swift victory, but it left me fascinated to learn and keep playing chess,” she said.

“The event is about 50% networking and 50% participants genuinely wishing to engage in chess … It is a pleasant way to unwind, which doesn't involve visiting a typical nightspot to meet other people my generation.”

A Game Revitalized: The Ancient Game in the Modern Age

Lately, chess has been firmly established in the societal spirit of the times. Its appeal of online chess proliferated during the global health crisis, making it one of the fastest-growing online games globally. In popular culture, the streaming series The Queen’s Gambit, as well as the author's recent novel Intermezzo, have created a certain imagery associated with the sport, which has attracted a fresh generation of players.

But much of this newfound attraction of the chess night isn't necessarily about the technicalities of the game; rather, it is the ease of connecting with others that it enables, by taking a chair and playing with someone who could be a total unknown individual.

“It is a great Trojan horse,” remarked Jonah Freud, co-founder of Reference Point in London, a bookstore, reading room, cafe and bar, which has hosted a well-attended chess club weekly since it opened four years ago. His objective is to “remove chess from its elite status and make it feel like pool in a dive bar”.

“It's a really easy tool to meet people. It somewhat removes the pressure of the need of small talk away from interacting with people. You can handle the uncomfortable part of introducing yourself and talking to a new acquaintance across a game instead of with no shared activity around it.”

Growing the Network: Chess Nights Outside London

In Birmingham, Chesscafé is a regular chess night taking place at York’s Cafe, just outside the downtown area. “Our observation was that individuals are looking for places where you can go out, interact and enjoy a good time beyond visiting a pub or club,” stated its founder and coordinator, Karan Singh, in his early twenties.

Together with his associate a partner, 21, he bought game sets, created promotional materials and began the chess club in the start of the year, during his final year of university. In less than a year, Singh said Chesscafé has grown to draw over 100 youthful participants to its events.

“Such a venue has a specific connotation associated with it, about it being quiet. We really try to move in the contrary direction; it is a convivial get-together with chess as part of it,” he said.

Learning and Engaging: A New Generation of Players

For many, chess clubs are an entry point to the game. Zoë Kezia, in her late twenties, is learning how to play chess with fellow attenders of the weekly event at Reference Point. Her interest in the game was sparked after an enjoyable night dancing and playing chess at a previous the club's events.

“It is a strange concept, but it works,” she commented. “It promotes in-person interactions instead of digital activities. It is a no-cost neutral ground to meet strangers. It's inviting, you don't have to necessarily be good at chess.”

Kezia jokingly compared the popularity of chess with young people to the facade of the “performative male”, an attempt to simulate intellectualism while signaling the veneer of “coolness”. If the chess trend has cultivated a authentic interest in the sport is not a notion she's quite sure about. “It is a positive trend, but it’s largely a fad,” she observed. “Once you're playing against people who are truly serious about it, it rapidly turns less enjoyable.”

Competitive Play and Togetherness

It may all be a some fun and games for those aiming to use a game set as a networking tool, but serious participants do have their role, even if away from the main party area.

Lucia Ene-Lesikar, in her early twenties, who helps running Knight Club,says that more skilled attenders have established a competitive ranking. “People who are part of the competition will play each other, we will progress to quarter-finals, advanced stages, and then we'll finally have a champion.”

Ryames Chan, 23, is a serious player and chess teacher. He has been in the league for about a twelve months and participates at the club nearly weekly. “This is a nice option to playing serious chess; it gives a sense of belonging,” he expressed.

“It is fascinating to see how it evolves into increasingly a communal activity, because previously the only people who engaged in chess were those who rarely go outside; they simply remained home. It is typically just two people competing on a chessboard …

“The thing I like about this place is that one isn't really facing the digital opponent, you're facing real people.”