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One of the liveliest locations on a Tuesday night in the East End's famous street isn't a restaurant or a streetwear brand pop-up, it is a chess gathering – or rather a chess club-nightclub fusion, to be exact.

Knight Club embodies the unlikely blend between the classic game and London's fervent evening entertainment culture. It was founded by a young entrepreneur, 27, who began his initial chess club in August 2023 at a smaller bar in a nearby area, not too far from the current location at a popular cafe on Brick Lane.

“My goal was to make chess clubs for people who look like me and those my generation,” he said. “Usually, chess is only placed in spaces that are full of senior individuals, which isn't inclusive enough.”

On the first night, there were only 8 boards shared by 16 people. Today, a “successful evening” at the weekly club event will draw about two hundred eighty attendees.

At first glance, Knight Club feels more like a music night than a traditional chess meeting. Cocktails are flowing and music is playing, 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.

Jimmy Ifenayi, 24, has been attending the club often for the last several months. “I had no knowledge of chess prior to I came here, and the initial occasion I tried it, I competed in a game with a grandmaster. That was a swift victory, but it left me intrigued to study and keep playing chess,” she said.

“The event is about half social and half participants actually wishing to play chess … It is a pleasant way to decompress, which avoids going to a club to see other people my generation.”

An Activity Reborn: The Ancient Game in the Contemporary Age

In recent years, chess has been cemented in the societal zeitgeist. The popularity of online chess expanded rapidly throughout the global health crisis, making it one of the most rapidly expanding internet games globally. Across media, the streaming series The Queen’s Gambit, as well as the author's latest novel Intermezzo, have crafted a distinct imagery surrounding the sport, which has drawn in a fresh generation of enthusiasts.

However much of this newfound appeal of the chess club isn't necessarily about the technicalities of the play; rather, it is the simplicity of social interaction that it facilitates, by taking a seat and playing with a person who may be a total stranger.

“It is a brilliant clever disguise,” remarked Jonah Freud, founder of Reference Point in the city, a bookshop, reading room, coffee house and bar, which has hosted a well-attended chess club weekly since it began four years ago. His aim is to “take chess from its elite status and make it feel similar to billiards in a casual pub”.

“It is a really simple vehicle to get to know people. It somewhat removes the pressure of the necessity of small talk from socializing with people. One can handle the uncomfortable bit of making an introduction and talking to a new acquaintance across a board instead of with no kind of shared activity around it.”

Growing the Community: Chess Nights Beyond the Capital

Elsewhere in the UK, a similar initiative is a recurring chess event taking place at York’s Cafe, near the city centre. “We found that people are seeking places where you can socialize, interact and enjoy a fun evening outside of visiting a pub or nightclub,” stated its creator and organiser, Karan Singh, 21.

Together with his associate Abdirahim Haji, 21, he bought chessboards, created flyers and started the chess club in the start of the year, while in his last year of university. Within months, he reported their event has expanded to attract over 100 young participants to its gatherings.

“Such a venue has a particular connotation associated with it, about it being reserved. We really try to go the contrary direction; it's a convivial get-together with chess as part of it,” he said.

Discovering and Playing: An Alternative Generation of Players

Among numerous attendees, chess clubs are an introduction to the activity. Zoë Kezia, 27, is picking up how to participate in chess with other attenders of the weekly event at Reference Point. She became curious in the pastime was sparked after an pleasurable evening dancing and engaging in chess at one of the club's events.

“It's a strange idea, but it works,” she said. “It encourages in-person exchanges instead of screen-based pastimes. It's a free third space to meet new people. It's inviting, you don't have to necessarily be good at chess.”

Kezia humorously compared the popularity of chess with the youth to the facade of the “performative male”, an attempt to simulate braininess while projecting the veneer of “hipness”. If the chess trend has fostered a authentic interest in the game isn't a notion she's quite sure about. “It is a positive trend, but it’s largely a trend,” she said. “Once you compete against opponents who are truly dedicated about it, it quickly becomes less enjoyable.”

Serious Play and Community

It may seem like a bit of fun and games for those looking to use a game set as a networking tool, but serious participants certainly have their place, albeit off the main party area.

Lucia Ene-Lesikar, 22, who helps organise Knight Club,explains that more skilled attenders have established a league table. “Participants who are in the league will face each other, we'll progress to quarter-finals, semi-finals, and then we'll finally have a league winner.”

A dedicated player, in his twenties, is a serious player and chess instructor. He has been in the league for about a year and plays at the club nearly weekly. “This is a nice option to playing serious chess; it gives a sense of belonging,” he said.

“It is fascinating to see how it becomes increasingly a communal pastime, because previously the only individuals who played chess were people who didn't socialize; they simply stayed home. It is usually only two people playing on a game board …

“The thing I like about this place is that you're not actually facing the computer, you are engaging with live opponents.”