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One of the liveliest locations on a weekday night in east London's famous street couldn't be a dining spot or a urban fashion label pop-up, it's a chess gathering – or rather a chess and nightlife fusion, to be exact.

Knight Club embodies the surprising fusion between chess and London's dynamic evening entertainment scene. It was founded by Yusuf Ntahilaja, 27, who launched his initial chess club in August 2023 at a more intimate bar in Aldgate, a short distance from the current location at Café 1001 on Brick Lane.

“I wanted to make chess clubs for people who look like me and people my age,” he explained. “Usually, chess is only put in spaces that are full of older people, which isn't inclusive enough.”

On the first night, there were only eight boards between 16 people. Now, a “good night” at the regular club event will draw about two hundred eighty people.

Upon arrival, Knight Club feels more like a music night than a chess club. Mixed drinks are flowing and music is in the air, but the chessboards on each table aren't just ornamental or there as a gimmick: they are all in use and encircled by a queue of spectators waiting for their chance to play.

One regular, in her mid-twenties, has frequented Knight Club often for the past four months. “I had no knowledge of chess prior to I came here, and the first time I ever played, I played a game against a expert player. That was a quick win, but it made me fascinated to study and continue enjoying chess,” she said.

“This gathering is about half networking and 50% participants actually wanting to play chess … It's a pleasant way to decompress, which avoids visiting a club to see others my generation.”

A Game Reborn: The Ancient Game in the Contemporary Age

In recent years, chess has been cemented in the societal zeitgeist. Its appeal of digital chess expanded rapidly throughout the global health crisis, establishing it as one of the fastest-growing internet pastimes globally. In popular culture, the Netflix series a hit show, along with the author's latest novel Intermezzo, have crafted a certain iconography associated with the game, which has attracted a new generation of players.

But much of this newfound attraction of the chess night isn't always about the technicalities of the game; instead, it is the simplicity of connecting with others that it enables, by pulling up a chair and playing with a person who could be a total unknown individual.

“It's a great clever disguise,” remarked Jonah Freud, co-founder of a local venue in the city, a bookstore, library, coffee house and lounge, which has hosted a popular chess club weekly since it opened four years ago. Freud’s aim is to “take chess from its elite status and transform it into like pool in a dive bar”.

“It's a really simple tool to get to know people. It somewhat removes the weight of the need of conversation away from interacting with people. You can do the uncomfortable bit of making an introduction and chatting to a new acquaintance over a game rather than with no shared activity involved.”

Growing the Community: Chess Nights Outside the Capital

In Birmingham, a similar initiative is a regular chess night held at a city cafe, near the city centre. “Our observation was that individuals are seeking spaces where you can go out, socialise and have a good time outside of going to a bar or club,” stated its creator and coordinator, a young leader, in his early twenties.

Alongside his friend a partner, also young, Singh purchased chessboards, created promotional materials and began the chess club in the start of the year, during his last year of college. In less than a year, Singh reported their event has grown to attract more than 100 young participants to its gatherings.

“Such a venue has a specific connotation associated with it, about it seeming quiet. Our approach is to go the opposite direction; it is a social party with chess as part of it,” he said.

Discovering and Engaging: A New Cohort of Players

For many, chess clubs are an introduction to the activity. Zoë Kezia, in her late twenties, is picking up how to play chess with fellow visitors of the weekly event at the venue. She became curious in the pastime was piqued after an pleasurable night moving to music and engaging in chess at a previous the club's events.

“It's a strange idea, but it functions well,” she said. “It promotes in-person interactions rather than screen-based activities. It is a no-cost third space to encounter strangers. It's welcoming, one doesn't have to necessarily be good at chess.”

She jokingly likened the popularity of chess among the youth to the facade of the “performative male”, an effort to feign braininess while signaling the appearance of “coolness”. If the chess craze has fostered a genuine passion in the game isn't a notion she's entirely sure about. “It is a wholesome trend, but it’s largely a fad,” she said. “Once you compete against people who are really serious about it, it rapidly becomes less fun.”

Competitive Gaming and Togetherness

It may all be a some lighthearted activity for those aiming to employ a chessboard as a social vehicle, but competitive participants certainly have their role, even if off the main party area.

Lucia Ene-Lesikar, 22, who helps organise Knight Club,says that increasingly competitive attenders have established a league table. “People who are in the league will play one another, we'll progress to quarter-finals, semi-finals, and then we'll finally have a champion.”

Ryames Chan, in his twenties, is a competitive competitor and chess instructor. He has been the competition for about a twelve months and plays at the club almost weekly. “This offers a nice option to engaging in serious chess; it gives a feeling of belonging,” he expressed.

“It's fascinating to see how it becomes increasingly a communal activity, because in the past the only people who engaged in chess were those who didn't socialize; they simply remained home. It's usually only a pair competing on a chessboard …

“The thing I like about this place is that one isn't really playing against the digital opponent, you're facing live opponents.”