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One of the most energetic locations on a Tuesday night in east London's Brick Lane isn't a restaurant or a urban fashion label temporary shop, it is a chess club – or a chess club-nightclub fusion, precisely speaking.

This unique venue embodies the surprising crossover between the classic game and the city's dynamic evening entertainment scene. It was started by a young entrepreneur, 27, who began his first chess club in the summer of 2023 at a more intimate bar in Aldgate, not too far from the present location at Café 1001 on the iconic lane.

“I wanted to create chess clubs for people who look like me and people my age,” he said. “Typically, chess is only put in environments that are full of older people, which is not inclusive enough.”

Initially, there were only eight boards between sixteen people. Now, a “successful evening” at the weekly club event will attract about two hundred eighty attendees.

Upon arrival, the venue feels more like a DJ event than a chess club. Mixed drinks are being served and music is playing, but the chessboards on each table are not just ornamental or there as a gimmick: they are all occupied and encircled by a queue of onlookers eagerly anticipating for their chance to play.

One regular, in her mid-twenties, has been attending Knight Club often for the past four months. “I possessed little understanding of chess prior to I came here, and the initial occasion I tried it, I played a game with a expert player. That was a quick victory, but it left me intrigued to learn and continue enjoying chess,” she said.

“This gathering is about 50% social and 50% people genuinely wanting to engage in chess … It's a nice way to unwind, which doesn't involve going to a typical nightspot to see others my generation.”

An Activity Revitalized: Chess in the Modern Era

In recent years, chess has been cemented in the cultural zeitgeist. Its appeal of digital chess proliferated throughout the pandemic, making it one of the fastest-growing online pastimes globally. Across media, the streaming series The Queen’s Gambit, along with the author's recent novel a literary work, have crafted a distinct imagery surrounding the sport, which has attracted a new generation of players.

But a great deal of this recent appeal of the chess club isn't necessarily about the intricacies of the game; rather, it is the ease of social interaction that it enables, by pulling up a seat and engaging with someone who could be a complete stranger.

“It's a brilliant clever disguise,” said Jonah Freud, co-founder of a local venue in London, a bookstore, reading room, coffee house and bar, which has hosted a well-attended chess club every Wednesday since it began four years ago. Freud’s aim is to “remove chess off a pedestal and transform it into similar to pool in a dive bar”.

“It is a very easy vehicle to meet people. It kind of takes the weight of the need of small talk away from interacting with people. One can do the uncomfortable bit of making an introduction and talking to someone over a board instead of with no kind of shared activity around it.”

Growing the Network: Chess Nights Beyond London

Elsewhere in the UK, a similar initiative is a recurring chess event held at a city cafe, near the downtown area. “We found that individuals are looking for places where you can go out, socialise and have a good time beyond visiting a pub or club,” said its creator and coordinator, Karan Singh, 21.

Alongside his associate Abdirahim Haji, also young, he bought chessboards, printed promotional materials and began the chess club in the start of the year, while in his final year of college. In less than a year, Singh reported Chesscafé has expanded to attract more than 100 youthful participants to its events.

“A chess club has a particular reputation to it, about it being 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: A New Generation of Players

Among numerous attendees, chess clubs are an entry point to the activity. Zoë Kezia, 27, is picking up how to participate in chess with other visitors of chess night at the venue. She became curious in the pastime was piqued after an enjoyable night dancing and engaging in chess at one of the club's events.

“It is a strange idea, but it functions well,” she said. “It encourages in-person interactions rather than digital activities. It is a no-cost third space to encounter strangers. It is inviting, one doesn't need to necessarily be good at chess.”

She humorously likened the trendiness of chess with young people to the facade of the “performative male”, an attempt to simulate intellectualism while signaling the appearance of “coolness”. If the chess trend has fostered a genuine passion in the sport is not something she's quite sure about. “It is a wholesome trend, but it’s largely a trend,” she observed. “When you're playing with people who are really serious about it, it rapidly turns less enjoyable.”

Serious Gaming and Togetherness

It might all be a some fun and games for individuals aiming to use a game set as a social vehicle, but competitive participants certainly have their role, albeit away from the main party area.

Lucia Ene-Lesikar, 22, who assists in running Knight Club,says that more competitive players have established a competitive ranking. “Participants who are in the league will face one another, we will go to quarter-finals, semi-finals, and then we'll finally have a champion.”

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 is a welcome option to playing intense chess; it gives a sense of belonging,” he expressed.

“It's fascinating to see how it evolves into more of a social activity, because previously the only individuals who engaged in chess were people who rarely socialize; they just remained home. It's typically just two people playing on a game board …

“What I like about this place is that one isn't actually playing against the computer, you are facing live opponents.”