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One of the most vibrant locations on a Tuesday evening in east London's famous street couldn't be a dining spot or a streetwear brand temporary shop, it's a chess club – or a chess and nightlife combination, to be exact.

This unique venue embodies the unlikely fusion between the classic game and the city's fervent nightlife culture. It was founded by Yusuf Ntahilaja, in his late twenties, who launched his initial chess club in the summer of 2023 at a more intimate bar in Aldgate, a short distance from the present location at a popular cafe on Brick Lane.

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

On the first night, there were only eight boards between 16 people. Now, a “successful evening” at the weekly Knight Club will draw approximately two hundred eighty attendees.

Upon arrival, Knight Club seems closer to a DJ event than a traditional chess meeting. Mixed drinks are being served and tunes is playing, but the game boards on every table aren't just ornamental or there as a novelty: they are all occupied and surrounded by a line of onlookers eagerly anticipating for their chance to play.

One regular, in her mid-twenties, has been attending the club regularly for the past four months. “I possessed no knowledge of chess before I came here, and the initial occasion I ever played, I competed in a game against a expert player. It was a swift victory, but it left me intrigued to study and continue enjoying chess,” she said.

“The event is about half networking and half people actually wanting to play chess … It's a pleasant way to relax, which doesn't involve going to a typical nightspot to see other people my age.”

A Game Reborn: The Ancient Game in the Modern Era

Lately, chess has been firmly established in the cultural spirit of the times. Its appeal of digital chess expanded rapidly throughout the global health crisis, making it one of the most rapidly expanding internet games in the world. In popular culture, the Netflix series a hit show, as well as Sally Rooney’s latest novel Intermezzo, have created a distinct imagery surrounding the sport, which has attracted a fresh generation of enthusiasts.

However much of this newfound attraction of the chess night isn't always about the technicalities of the game; rather, it is the ease of connecting with others that it enables, by pulling up a seat and engaging with a person who could be a complete unknown individual.

“It's a brilliant Trojan horse,” said one organizer, founder of a local venue in the city, a bookshop, library, cafe and lounge, which has hosted a well-attended chess club weekly since it began several years back. His objective is to “remove chess off a pedestal and make it feel similar to pool in a casual pub”.

“It's a very easy tool to meet people. It somewhat removes the pressure of the need of conversation away from socializing with people. You can handle the awkward part of making an introduction and chatting to someone over a game instead of with no context around it.”

Growing the Community: Chess Nights Outside the Capital

In Birmingham, Chesscafé is a recurring chess night held at York’s Cafe, just outside the city centre. “We found that people are looking for places where one can go out, socialise and have a fun evening beyond going to a pub or club,” said its founder and organiser, a young leader, in his early twenties.

Together with his friend a partner, also young, Singh purchased game sets, created promotional materials and began the chess club in the start of the year, during his last year of college. Within months, he said Chesscafé has grown to attract over 100 youthful participants to its gatherings.

“Such a venue has a specific connotation associated with it, about it being reserved. Our approach is to move in the opposite way; it is a social party with chess involved,” he said.

Discovering and Engaging: An Alternative Generation of Chess Enthusiasts

For many, chess clubs are an introduction to the game. One participant, in her late twenties, is picking up how to play chess with fellow visitors of the weekly event at Reference Point. Her interest in the game 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 works,” she commented. “It promotes face-to-face exchanges rather than screen-based activities. It is a free third space to meet new people. It is welcoming, you don't need to necessarily be skilled at chess.”

She jokingly likened the trendiness of chess with young people to the superficial image of the “performative male”, an effort to feign braininess while signaling the appearance of “hipness”. If the chess craze has cultivated a genuine passion in the sport isn't something she is entirely convinced by. “It is a positive trend, but it’s largely a trend,” she observed. “Once you're playing with opponents who are truly serious about it, it rapidly turns less fun.”

Serious Play and Togetherness

It might seem like a bit of fun and games for individuals aiming to use a game set as a networking tool, but serious participants certainly have their role, albeit off the dancefloor.

Another organizer, in her early twenties, who assists in organise the club,explains that increasingly competitive attenders have formed a league table. “Participants who are part of the competition will play each other, we will progress to early rounds, semi-finals, and then we'll eventually have a champion.”

Ryames Chan, 23, is a serious competitor and chess teacher. He joined the competition for about a twelve months and participates at the club nearly weekly. “This is a welcome option to playing intense chess; it provides a feeling of belonging,” he expressed.

“It is interesting to observe how it becomes increasingly a communal pastime, because previously the sole people who engaged in chess were people who rarely go outside; they simply remained home. It is typically just two people competing on a game board …

“The thing appeals to me about here is that one isn't really facing the computer, you are facing real people.”