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Among the most vibrant locations on a Tuesday evening in east London's Brick Lane couldn't be a restaurant or a urban fashion brand pop-up, it is a chess gathering – or a chess club-nightclub hybrid, to be exact.

Knight Club represents the unlikely fusion between the classic game and London's dynamic evening entertainment scene. It was founded by Yusuf Ntahilaja, 27, who launched his first chess club in August 2023 at a smaller bar in a nearby area, a short distance from the present location at a popular cafe on Brick Lane.

“My goal was to make chess clubs for people who share my background and people my generation,” he said. “Usually, chess is only put in spaces that are full of older people, which isn't inclusive enough.”

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

At first glance, the venue seems closer to a music night than a chess club. Mixed drinks are flowing and tunes is playing, but the game boards on each table are not just decorative or there as a novelty: they are all occupied and surrounded by a queue of onlookers eagerly anticipating for their chance to play.

Jimmy Ifenayi, 24, has been attending the club often for the past several months. “I had no knowledge of chess before my first visit, and the initial occasion I tried it, I played a game with a grandmaster. It was a swift win, but it made me intrigued to study and continue enjoying chess,” she noted.

“This gathering is about half networking and half people genuinely wishing to play chess … It's a pleasant way to relax, which doesn't involve visiting a club to see others my generation.”

An Activity Revitalized: The Ancient Game in the Modern Era

Lately, chess has been cemented in the societal zeitgeist. The popularity of online chess expanded rapidly throughout the pandemic, making it one of the fastest-growing online games globally. In popular culture, the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, along with Sally Rooney’s latest novel a literary work, have created a certain imagery associated with the game, which has drawn in a new generation of players.

But much of this newfound appeal of the chess club is not always about the technicalities of the play; instead, it is the ease of social interaction that it facilitates, by taking a chair and playing with a person who could be a total stranger.

“It is a brilliant Trojan horse,” remarked one organizer, co-founder of Reference Point in London, a bookshop, reading room, coffee house and lounge, which has organized a well-attended chess club every Wednesday since it opened several years back. Freud’s objective is to “take chess off a pedestal and make it feel similar to pool in a casual pub”.

“It is a very easy vehicle to meet people. It somewhat takes the pressure of the need of small talk away from interacting with people. You can do the awkward part of making an introduction and chatting to someone over a game rather than with no shared activity around it.”

Growing the Community: Social Gatherings Beyond the Capital

Elsewhere in the UK, Chesscafé is a recurring chess event taking place at York’s Cafe, near the city centre. “Our observation was that individuals are seeking places where one can socialize, socialise and have a fun evening beyond going to a bar or nightclub,” said its founder and coordinator, Karan Singh, in his early twenties.

Alongside his associate a partner, also young, Singh bought chessboards, created flyers and began the chess club in the start of the year, while in his final year of university. In less than a year, Singh said Chesscafé has expanded to attract over one hundred young players to its events.

“A chess club has a specific connotation to it, about it seeming reserved. Our approach is to move in the opposite way; it's a convivial get-together with chess as part of it,” he emphasized.

Discovering and Engaging: An Alternative Generation of Chess Enthusiasts

Among numerous attendees, chess clubs are an entry point to the game. One participant, in her late twenties, is picking up how to play chess with other attenders of the weekly event at Reference Point. She became curious in the pastime was piqued after an pleasurable night dancing and engaging in chess at one of Knight Club's events.

“It is a unique concept, but it functions well,” she said. “It encourages in-person interactions rather than screen-based activities. It is a free third space to meet strangers. It is welcoming, you don't need to necessarily be good at chess.”

She humorously compared the popularity of chess with the youth to the facade of the “ostentatious intellectual”, an effort to feign intellectualism while signaling the appearance of “coolness”. Whether the chess craze has cultivated a authentic passion in the game is not something she's quite sure about. “It's a wholesome phenomenon, but it’s very much a trend,” she said. “Once you're playing with people who are truly dedicated about it, it quickly turns less enjoyable.”

Serious Gaming and Togetherness

It may seem like a some lighthearted activity for individuals looking to employ a game set as a social vehicle, but competitive participants do have their role, albeit off the main party area.

Another organizer, 22, who helps organise Knight Club,says that more competitive attenders have formed a league table. “Participants who are part of the competition will play one another, we'll progress to early rounds, advanced stages, and then we'll finally have a league winner.”

A dedicated player, 23, is a serious competitor and chess instructor. He joined the competition for about a year and participates at the club almost weekly. “This offers a welcome alternative to playing serious chess; it gives a feeling of community,” he said.

“It is fascinating to see how it evolves into increasingly a communal pastime, because previously the sole people who played chess were those who rarely socialize; they just remained home. It's usually just two people competing on a chessboard …

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