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Among the liveliest spots on a Tuesday evening in the East End's Brick Lane isn't a dining spot or a streetwear brand temporary shop, it is a chess club – or a chess and nightlife hybrid, to be exact.

This unique venue embodies the surprising crossover between chess and the city's dynamic nightlife scene. It was started by Yusuf Ntahilaja, in his late twenties, who began his first chess club in the summer of 2023 at a more intimate bar in a nearby area, 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. “Usually, chess is only placed in spaces that are dominated by older people, which isn't diverse sufficiently.”

Initially, there were only eight boards shared by 16 people. Now, a “successful evening” at the regular club event will draw approximately two hundred eighty people.

At first glance, Knight Club seems more like a DJ event than a traditional chess meeting. Mixed drinks are flowing and tunes is in the air, but the chessboards on every table aren't just decorative or there as a gimmick: they are all occupied and surrounded by a line of spectators waiting for their chance to play.

One regular, in her mid-twenties, has been attending the club regularly for the past four months. “I had little understanding of chess before I came here, and the initial occasion I tried it, I played a game with a expert player. That was a swift win, but it made me fascinated to study and keep playing chess,” she said.

“The event is about half social and half people actually wishing to play chess … It is a pleasant way to relax, which avoids going to a typical nightspot to see others my generation.”

An Activity Reborn: Chess in the Modern Age

In recent years, chess has been cemented in the societal spirit of the times. Its appeal of online chess expanded rapidly during the pandemic, making it one of the fastest-growing online pastimes in the world. Across media, the streaming series a hit show, along with Sally Rooney’s latest novel Intermezzo, have crafted a certain iconography surrounding the game, which has drawn in a fresh wave of enthusiasts.

But a great deal of this newfound appeal of the chess club isn't always about the technicalities of the game; rather, it is the ease of social interaction that it enables, by taking a seat and playing with someone who may be a total unknown individual.

“It is a great Trojan horse,” remarked Jonah Freud, co-founder of a local venue in the city, a bookstore, reading room, coffee house and lounge, which has organized a popular chess club every Wednesday since it opened several years back. Freud’s aim is to “take chess from its elite status and make it feel like pool in a dive bar”.

“It's a very simple tool to get to know people. It kind of takes the weight of the necessity of small talk from interacting with people. You can handle the awkward part of introducing yourself and chatting to a new acquaintance across a game rather than with no shared activity around it.”

Growing the Network: Chess Nights Beyond the Capital

In Birmingham, a similar initiative is a recurring chess night held at a city cafe, near the city centre. “We found that people are seeking spaces where one can go out, interact and enjoy a fun evening outside of going to a bar or club,” said its founder and organiser, a young leader, 21.

Alongside his associate a partner, also young, he purchased chessboards, printed flyers and started the chess club in the start of the year, while in his last year of university. In less than a year, Singh reported Chesscafé has grown to draw more than one hundred youthful players to its events.

“A chess club has a particular reputation to it, about it seeming reserved. Our approach is to move in the contrary direction; it's a social party with chess as part of it,” he emphasized.

Learning and Playing: An Alternative Generation of Chess Enthusiasts

For many, chess clubs are an introduction to the activity. One participant, 27, is picking up how to participate in chess with fellow visitors of chess night at the venue. She became curious in the game was piqued after an enjoyable night moving to music and engaging in chess at a previous Knight Club's events.

“It is a strange idea, but it functions well,” she commented. “It encourages face-to-face exchanges rather than digital activities. It's a free neutral ground to meet new people. It is inviting, one doesn't need to necessarily be good at chess.”

Kezia jokingly compared the trendiness of chess among the youth to the facade of the “performative male”, an effort to feign intellectualism while signaling the veneer of “hipness”. Whether the chess trend has cultivated a authentic interest in the sport is not something she's entirely convinced by. “It's a wholesome phenomenon, but it’s largely a fad,” she observed. “Once you compete with opponents who are truly serious about it, it rapidly becomes less fun.”

Competitive Play and Togetherness

It may all be a some lighthearted activity for individuals looking to use a game set as a networking tool, but competitive players certainly have their role, even if off the dancefloor.

Another organizer, in her early twenties, who helps running the club,explains that increasingly competitive players have established a league table. “People who are part of the competition will play each other, we will progress to early rounds, semi-finals, and then we will eventually have a champion.”

A dedicated player, in his twenties, is a competitive competitor and chess instructor. He joined the competition for about a twelve months and participates at the club almost every week. “This is a nice option to engaging in intense chess; it provides a feeling of community,” he expressed.

“It is fascinating to observe how it becomes more of a communal activity, because previously the sole individuals who played chess were those who didn't go outside; they just stayed home. It's usually only a pair playing on a chessboard …

“What appeals to me about this place is that you're not really playing against the computer, you are engaging with live opponents.”