🔗 Share this article

Among the most energetic spots on a Tuesday evening in east London's Brick Lane couldn't be a restaurant or a urban fashion label pop-up, it is a chess gathering – or a chess and nightlife fusion, precisely speaking.

This unique venue embodies the surprising crossover between the classic game and London's dynamic evening entertainment culture. It was started by Yusuf Ntahilaja, 27, who began his first chess club in August 2023 at a smaller bar in a nearby area, not too far from the current location at Café 1001 on the iconic lane.

“My goal was to make chess clubs for individuals who share my background and people my generation,” he explained. “Typically, chess is only put in environments that are dominated by older people, which isn't diverse enough.”

On the first night, there were only eight boards between sixteen people. Now, a “successful evening” at the weekly Knight Club will attract approximately two hundred eighty attendees.

Upon arrival, Knight Club seems more like a DJ event than a chess club. Mixed drinks are being served and tunes is playing, but the chessboards on every table are not just ornamental or there as a gimmick: they are all occupied and encircled by a line of onlookers waiting for their chance to play.

One regular, 24, has been attending the club regularly for the last four months. “I possessed little understanding of chess prior to I came here, and the initial occasion I tried it, I played a game against a expert player. It was a quick win, but it left me fascinated to study and keep playing chess,” she said.

“This gathering is about half social and half people genuinely wanting to play chess … It is a nice way to relax, which doesn't involve going to a club to see other people my generation.”

A Game Reborn: Chess 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 in the world. Across media, the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, along with Sally Rooney’s latest novel a literary work, have crafted a certain iconography surrounding the game, which has attracted a new wave of enthusiasts.

However much of this recent appeal of the chess night is not necessarily about the technicalities of the game; instead, it is the simplicity of social interaction that it facilitates, by taking a seat and engaging with a person who may be a complete stranger.

“It's a brilliant Trojan horse,” said one organizer, founder of Reference Point in the city, a bookstore, library, cafe and bar, which has hosted a popular chess club weekly since it opened four years ago. Freud’s objective is to “remove chess off a pedestal and transform it into similar to billiards in a dive bar”.

“It's a very simple vehicle to meet people. It kind of removes the weight of the necessity of small talk from socializing with people. You can handle the uncomfortable part of introducing yourself and chatting to someone over a board rather than with no kind of shared activity involved.”

Growing the Network: Social Gatherings Outside London

Elsewhere in the UK, a similar initiative is a regular chess night held at a city cafe, near the downtown area. “We found that individuals are seeking spaces where one can socialize, interact and have a fun evening outside of visiting a bar or club,” stated its founder and coordinator, a young leader, in his early twenties.

Together with his friend a partner, 21, Singh bought chessboards, printed promotional materials and started the chess club in the start of the year, while in his last year of college. Within months, he said Chesscafé has grown to attract more than 100 young players to its events.

“A chess club has a specific reputation to it, about it being quiet. Our approach is to move in the contrary way; it is a social party with chess involved,” he emphasized.

Learning and Playing: An Alternative Cohort of Chess Enthusiasts

Among numerous attendees, chess clubs are an introduction to the game. Zoë Kezia, in her late twenties, is learning how to play chess with fellow visitors of chess night at Reference Point. She became curious in the game was piqued after an enjoyable night moving to music and playing chess at one of Knight Club's events.

“It's a unique concept, but it works,” she said. “It promotes in-person interactions instead of digital activities. It is a no-cost third space to meet strangers. It's inviting, one doesn't need to necessarily be good at chess.”

Kezia jokingly likened the popularity of chess among young people to the superficial image of the “performative male”, an effort to feign intellectualism while signaling the appearance of “coolness”. Whether the chess craze has fostered a genuine interest in the game isn't something she is quite convinced by. “It's a positive trend, but it’s very much a trend,” she observed. “Once you're playing with people who are really serious about it, it rapidly turns less fun.”

Competitive Play and Community

It might all be a some fun and games for individuals looking to employ a chessboard as a social vehicle, but serious players do have their place, albeit off the main party area.

Another organizer, 22, who assists in organise Knight Club,explains that more skilled players have formed a league table. “People who are part of the competition will face one another, we will go to early rounds, semi-finals, and then we'll eventually have a league winner.”

Ryames Chan, 23, is a serious player and chess instructor. He has been the competition for about a twelve months and plays at the club almost weekly. “This offers a welcome option to engaging in intense chess; it provides a sense of belonging,” he expressed.

“It's fascinating to see how it evolves into increasingly a social pastime, because previously the only individuals who engaged in chess were people who didn't socialize; they just stayed home. It's usually only a pair playing on a game board …

“What appeals to me about here is that you're not really facing the digital opponent, you are engaging with live opponents.”