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One of the liveliest spots on a weekday evening in east London's Brick Lane isn't a restaurant or a urban fashion brand temporary shop, it is a chess club – or a chess and nightlife fusion, to be exact.

This unique venue embodies the unlikely fusion between the classic game and London's fervent evening entertainment culture. It was started by Yusuf Ntahilaja, in his late twenties, who launched his first chess club in August 2023 at a more intimate bar in Aldgate, a short distance from the present location at a popular cafe on the iconic lane.

“I wanted to make chess clubs for individuals who look like me and people my generation,” he explained. “Typically, chess is only placed in environments that are full of senior individuals, which is not inclusive sufficiently.”

Initially, there were only eight boards between sixteen people. Today, a “successful evening” at the weekly Knight Club will draw approximately two hundred eighty attendees.

At first glance, the venue seems closer to a music night than a chess club. Cocktails are flowing and tunes is playing, but the game boards on every table aren't just ornamental or there as a novelty: they are all in use and encircled by a line of spectators waiting for their chance to play.

Jimmy Ifenayi, in her mid-twenties, has frequented Knight Club often for the past four months. “I possessed little understanding of chess prior to my first visit, and the first time I tried it, I competed in a game against a grandmaster. That was a quick win, but it made me fascinated to study and keep playing chess,” she said.

“The event is about 50% social and 50% people actually wanting to play chess … It is a pleasant way to relax, which avoids going to a club to meet other people my generation.”

A Game Reborn: The Ancient Game in the Contemporary Age

In recent years, chess has been firmly established in the cultural zeitgeist. Its appeal of digital chess proliferated throughout the global health crisis, making it one of the fastest-growing internet pastimes globally. In popular culture, the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, as well as Sally Rooney’s latest novel Intermezzo, have created a distinct imagery surrounding the sport, which has attracted a fresh wave of enthusiasts.

However a great deal of this newfound attraction of the chess night isn't always about the technicalities of the play; rather, it is the simplicity of connecting with others that it enables, by taking a seat and playing with a person who could be a total stranger.

“It is a brilliant clever disguise,” remarked Jonah Freud, founder of Reference Point in London, a bookstore, library, cafe and lounge, which has organized a well-attended chess club weekly since it began four years ago. Freud’s aim is to “take chess off a pedestal and make it feel like pool in a dive bar”.

“It is a very simple vehicle to get to know people. It somewhat takes the pressure of the need of small talk from interacting with people. You can handle the awkward part of introducing yourself and chatting to a new acquaintance over a game instead of with no shared activity involved.”

Expanding the Network: Social Gatherings Outside London

Elsewhere in the UK, a similar initiative is a recurring chess night held at York’s Cafe, just outside the city centre. “We found that people are seeking spaces where you can socialize, interact and have a fun evening beyond visiting a pub or club,” said its founder and coordinator, a young leader, 21.

Together with his associate a partner, also young, Singh purchased game sets, created promotional materials and began the chess club in January, during his final year of college. In less than a year, Singh said their event has expanded to attract more than one hundred young participants to its events.

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

Discovering and Playing: A New Generation of Players

For many, chess clubs are an entry point to the activity. Zoë Kezia, 27, is learning how to play chess with other attenders of chess night at the venue. Her interest in the game was sparked after an pleasurable night moving to music and engaging in chess at one of the club's events.

“It's a strange idea, but it functions well,” she said. “It promotes face-to-face interactions instead of screen-based activities. It is a no-cost neutral ground to meet strangers. It's welcoming, one doesn't need to necessarily be good at chess.”

She jokingly compared the popularity of chess with the youth to the facade of the “performative male”, an effort to simulate braininess while projecting the veneer of “coolness”. Whether the chess trend has cultivated a genuine passion in the game is not a notion she is entirely sure about. “It's a positive phenomenon, but it’s very much a trend,” she observed. “Once you're playing with opponents who are truly dedicated about it, it quickly turns less fun.”

Competitive Play and Togetherness

It may seem like a bit of lighthearted activity for individuals looking to use a chessboard as a networking tool, but competitive players certainly have their role, albeit off the dancefloor.

Another organizer, 22, who assists in running Knight Club,says that more skilled players have formed a competitive ranking. “People who are part of the competition will play each other, we will go to early rounds, semi-finals, and then we will finally have a league winner.”

Ryames Chan, in his twenties, is a serious player and chess instructor. He has been the competition for about a year and participates at the club nearly every week. “This offers a nice option to engaging in intense chess; it provides a sense of community,” he expressed.

“It is interesting to observe how it becomes increasingly a communal pastime, because in the past the only people who played chess were people who rarely socialize; they simply stayed home. It's typically only two people competing on a game board …

“What appeals to me about this place is that you're not actually playing against the digital opponent, you are engaging with real people.”