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Among the most energetic locations on a weekday night in the East End's Brick Lane couldn't be a dining spot or a urban fashion label temporary shop, it is a chess gathering – or rather a chess and nightlife combination, to be exact.

This unique venue represents the unlikely fusion between the classic game and the city's fervent nightlife scene. It was started by Yusuf Ntahilaja, 27, who launched his initial chess club in the summer of 2023 at a smaller bar in Aldgate, not too far from the current location at a popular cafe on the iconic lane.

“My goal was to make chess clubs for people who share my background and people my generation,” he explained. “Usually, chess is only placed in spaces that are dominated by older people, which is not inclusive sufficiently.”

Initially, there were just eight boards between 16 people. Today, a “successful evening” at the weekly club event will draw about 280 attendees.

At first glance, Knight Club seems closer to a DJ event than a chess club. Mixed drinks are flowing and tunes is in the air, but the chessboards on every table aren't just ornamental or there as a gimmick: they are all in use and surrounded by a line of onlookers eagerly anticipating for their chance to play.

One regular, in her mid-twenties, has frequented Knight Club regularly for the last four months. “I had little understanding of chess before I came here, and the initial occasion I ever played, I competed in a game against a grandmaster. It was a quick victory, but it left me intrigued to learn and continue enjoying chess,” she said.

“This gathering is about 50% social and half participants actually wishing to play chess … It's a pleasant way to decompress, which doesn't involve visiting a club to meet others my age.”

An Activity Reborn: Chess in the Contemporary Age

Lately, chess has been firmly established in the cultural spirit of the times. Its appeal of digital chess proliferated throughout the global health crisis, establishing it as one of the fastest-growing internet games globally. In popular culture, the streaming series a hit show, as well as Sally Rooney’s recent novel a literary work, have created a distinct imagery surrounding the game, which has drawn in a new generation of enthusiasts.

But a great deal of this newfound attraction of the chess club is not always about the technicalities of the play; instead, it is the ease of connecting with others that it enables, by taking a chair and playing with someone who could be a total stranger.

“It is a great clever disguise,” said Jonah Freud, founder of a local venue in London, a bookshop, reading room, cafe and bar, which has organized a well-attended chess club weekly since it began four years ago. Freud’s objective is to “remove chess from its elite status and transform it into like pool in a dive bar”.

“It is a very simple tool to meet people. It kind of takes the weight of the necessity of conversation away from socializing with people. One can do the uncomfortable part of making an introduction and talking to someone over a game instead of with no kind of shared activity around it.”

Growing the Community: Chess Nights Outside the Capital

In Birmingham, Chesscafé is a recurring chess night taking place at York’s Cafe, just outside the downtown area. “We found that people are looking for spaces where one can go out, socialise and enjoy a fun evening outside of going to a pub or nightclub,” stated its creator and organiser, Karan Singh, in his early twenties.

Together with his associate a partner, 21, Singh purchased chessboards, printed flyers and began the chess club in January, while in his final year of college. In less than a year, he reported their event has expanded to draw more than one hundred youthful players to its gatherings.

“A chess club has a particular connotation to it, about it seeming quiet. We really try to go the opposite way; it is a social party with chess as part of it,” he emphasized.

Learning and Playing: An Alternative Cohort of Players

For many, chess clubs are an introduction to the activity. One participant, 27, is learning how to play chess with other visitors of the weekly event at Reference Point. She became curious in the pastime was piqued after an pleasurable evening dancing and playing chess at one of the club's events.

“It's a strange idea, but it works,” she commented. “It promotes face-to-face interactions rather than screen-based pastimes. It is a no-cost neutral ground to encounter new people. It is welcoming, you don't need to necessarily be good at chess.”

Kezia humorously compared the popularity of chess among young people to the superficial image of the “performative male”, an attempt to feign braininess while projecting the appearance of “coolness”. Whether the chess craze has cultivated a authentic passion in the game is not something she's entirely sure about. “It's a wholesome trend, but it’s very much a fad,” she said. “When you're playing with people who are truly dedicated about it, it quickly becomes less enjoyable.”

Competitive Gaming and Community

It might all be a some lighthearted activity for individuals looking to use a chessboard as a social vehicle, but competitive participants do have their place, even if away from the dancefloor.

Lucia Ene-Lesikar, 22, who assists in running Knight Club,says that more skilled players have formed a league table. “People who are in the league will play each other, we'll go to early rounds, advanced stages, and then we'll eventually have a champion.”

Ryames Chan, in his twenties, is a competitive competitor and chess instructor. He has been in the league for about a year and plays at the club almost weekly. “This offers a welcome alternative to engaging in serious chess; it gives a feeling of community,” he said.

“It is interesting to see how it evolves into more of a social pastime, because in the past the only individuals who played chess were those who didn't socialize; they just stayed home. It's usually only two people playing on a game board …

“The thing appeals to me about here is that one isn't really playing against the computer, you're engaging with real people.”