🔗 Share this article

One of the liveliest locations on a Tuesday evening in east London's Brick Lane couldn't be a restaurant or a urban fashion label pop-up, it is a chess club – or rather a chess club-nightclub fusion, precisely speaking.

Knight Club 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 launched his initial chess club in the summer of 2023 at a smaller bar in a nearby area, not too far from the present location at Café 1001 on Brick Lane.

“I wanted to create chess clubs for people who share my background and those my age,” he said. “Typically, chess is only put in environments that are dominated by older people, which is not inclusive enough.”

On the first night, there were just eight boards shared by 16 people. Today, a “successful evening” at the regular club event will attract about two hundred eighty people.

At first glance, the venue feels more like a music night than a chess club. Cocktails are being served and tunes is in the air, but the game boards on each table are not 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 frequented Knight 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 against a expert player. It was a swift win, but it made me fascinated to study and keep playing chess,” she noted.

“This gathering is about half networking and half participants actually wishing to engage in chess … It's a nice way to relax, which avoids visiting a club to see other people my age.”

An Activity Reborn: Chess in the Modern Era

Lately, chess has been firmly established in the societal zeitgeist. The popularity of digital chess proliferated throughout the global health crisis, establishing it as one of the fastest-growing internet games globally. In popular culture, the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, as well as Sally Rooney’s recent novel a literary work, have crafted a certain imagery surrounding the sport, which has drawn in a new wave of players.

But a great deal of this recent attraction of the chess club isn't always about the technicalities of the game; instead, it is the simplicity of connecting with others that it facilitates, by pulling up a seat and engaging with a person who could be a total unknown individual.

“It's a brilliant clever disguise,” remarked one organizer, co-founder of a local venue in London, a bookshop, library, cafe and lounge, which has organized a popular chess club weekly since it began four years ago. Freud’s aim is to “take chess off a pedestal and make it feel similar to billiards in a casual pub”.

“It is a very simple vehicle to get to know people. It kind of takes the pressure of the necessity of small talk away from interacting with people. You can do the awkward part of introducing yourself and chatting to a new acquaintance across a board instead of with no context around it.”

Expanding the Community: Social Gatherings Outside the Capital

In Birmingham, a similar initiative is a recurring chess event taking place at York’s Cafe, just outside the downtown area. “We found that individuals are seeking places where you can socialize, socialise and enjoy a fun evening outside of visiting a bar or club,” stated its founder and organiser, Karan Singh, 21.

Together with his friend a partner, 21, Singh purchased game sets, printed flyers and started the chess club in January, during his last year of college. In less than a year, Singh said Chesscafé has expanded to attract more than 100 youthful players to its events.

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

Learning and Playing: A New Generation of Players

Among numerous attendees, chess clubs are an entry point to the game. Zoë Kezia, 27, is learning how to play chess with fellow attenders of the weekly event at Reference Point. Her interest in the pastime was sparked after an enjoyable night dancing and playing chess at one of the club's events.

“It's a unique concept, but it works,” she said. “It encourages in-person interactions instead of digital activities. It's a free third space to encounter new people. It is welcoming, one doesn't have to necessarily be good at chess.”

She humorously likened the popularity of chess with the youth to the superficial image of the “ostentatious intellectual”, an attempt to feign intellectualism while projecting the appearance of “hipness”. Whether the chess trend has cultivated a authentic passion in the sport isn't something she is quite sure about. “It's a wholesome trend, but it’s largely a fad,” she said. “Once you're playing with opponents who are truly dedicated about it, it quickly turns less fun.”

Competitive Gaming and Togetherness

It may seem like a bit of fun and games for individuals looking to use a game set as a networking tool, but serious players certainly have their role, albeit away from the main party area.

Another organizer, 22, who helps organise the club,says that more competitive attenders have formed a competitive ranking. “People who are in the league will play one another, we will progress to early rounds, semi-finals, and then we will eventually have a champion.”

A dedicated player, in his twenties, is a competitive competitor and chess instructor. He joined in the league for about a twelve months and participates at the club nearly weekly. “This is a welcome alternative to playing serious chess; it gives a feeling of belonging,” he said.

“It is fascinating to observe how it evolves into more of a social pastime, because previously the sole people who engaged in chess were people who didn't socialize; they just stayed home. It's typically only a pair competing on a chessboard …

“What appeals to me about this place is that one isn't actually playing against the digital opponent, you're facing real people.”