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One of the liveliest venues on a weekday night in east London's Brick Lane isn't a restaurant or a urban fashion brand temporary shop, it is a chess club – or rather a chess and nightlife hybrid, precisely speaking.

Knight Club represents the unlikely blend between chess and the city's fervent evening entertainment culture. It was founded by a young entrepreneur, in his late twenties, who launched his initial chess club in August 2023 at a smaller bar in a nearby area, a short distance from the current location at Café 1001 on Brick Lane.

“My goal was to create chess clubs for individuals who share my background and those my age,” he said. “Usually, chess is only put in environments that are full of senior individuals, which is not diverse sufficiently.”

On the first night, there were only eight boards between sixteen people. Now, a “successful evening” at the regular Knight Club will attract about 280 attendees.

Upon arrival, Knight Club seems more like a music night than a chess club. Cocktails are being served and tunes is playing, but the chessboards on every table aren't just ornamental or there as a novelty: they are all in use and surrounded by a queue of spectators eagerly anticipating for their turn.

One regular, 24, has been attending the club often for the past several 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 grandmaster. It was a quick win, but it made me intrigued to learn and continue enjoying chess,” she noted.

“The event is about 50% networking and 50% people genuinely wishing to engage in chess … It's a nice way to unwind, which avoids visiting a club to see others my generation.”

A Game Reborn: Chess in the Contemporary Era

In recent years, chess has been firmly established in the cultural spirit of the times. Its appeal of online chess expanded rapidly throughout the pandemic, establishing it as one of the most rapidly expanding internet games in the world. Across media, the Netflix series a hit show, along with Sally Rooney’s latest novel Intermezzo, have created a distinct imagery associated with the sport, which has drawn in a new generation of enthusiasts.

However much of this newfound appeal of the chess club isn't always about the intricacies of the game; instead, it is the simplicity of social interaction that it enables, by pulling up a seat and engaging with a person who may be a total unknown individual.

“It's a great clever disguise,” remarked one organizer, founder of Reference Point in London, 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 like pool in a casual pub”.

“It's a really simple tool to meet people. It somewhat takes the weight of the necessity of conversation away from socializing with people. You can do the uncomfortable bit of introducing yourself and chatting to someone across a board rather than with no kind of shared activity involved.”

Growing the Network: Chess Nights Outside London

Elsewhere in the UK, a similar initiative is a regular chess event held at a city cafe, just outside the downtown area. “We found that individuals are seeking places where one can go out, socialise and have a fun evening outside of going to a bar or nightclub,” said its founder and coordinator, a young leader, in his early twenties.

Alongside his friend Abdirahim Haji, also young, he bought chessboards, created promotional materials and began the chess club in the start of the year, during his final year of university. Within months, he said their event has grown to draw over 100 youthful players to its gatherings.

“Such a venue has a specific reputation to it, about it being quiet. We really try to move in the contrary direction; it's a convivial get-together with chess involved,” he emphasized.

Learning and Engaging: A New Cohort of Chess Enthusiasts

For many, chess clubs are an introduction to the activity. One participant, in her late twenties, is picking up how to participate in chess with fellow visitors of chess night at Reference Point. Her interest in the pastime was sparked after an pleasurable night dancing and engaging in chess at a previous the club's events.

“It's a unique idea, but it functions well,” she commented. “It promotes in-person interactions instead of digital pastimes. It's a no-cost neutral ground to encounter new people. It's inviting, you don't need to necessarily be good at chess.”

She humorously likened the popularity of chess among the youth to the facade of the “ostentatious intellectual”, an effort to simulate intellectualism while projecting the appearance of “hipness”. If the chess trend has cultivated a authentic passion in the game isn't a notion she's quite sure about. “It's a positive phenomenon, but it’s largely a trend,” she said. “Once you compete against opponents who are really dedicated about it, it rapidly turns less fun.”

Serious Gaming and Community

It might all be a some lighthearted activity for individuals looking to use a game set as a networking tool, but competitive participants certainly have their place, even if away from the dancefloor.

Another organizer, in her early twenties, who assists in organise Knight Club,says that more skilled attenders have formed a league table. “People who are in the league will play each other, we'll go to quarter-finals, advanced stages, and then we will finally have a champion.”

Ryames Chan, 23, is a competitive competitor and chess instructor. He joined the competition for about a year and participates at the club nearly every week. “This is a welcome alternative to playing serious chess; it gives a sense of belonging,” he expressed.

“It is interesting to observe how it becomes increasingly a communal activity, because in the past the sole people who played chess were people who didn't go outside; they simply stayed home. It is typically just a pair competing on a chessboard …

“The thing appeals to me about this place is that you're not actually playing against the computer, you are facing live opponents.”