🔗 Share this article

Among the most energetic locations on a weekday evening in the East End's Brick Lane isn't a dining spot or a streetwear label pop-up, it's a chess gathering – or rather a chess club-nightclub combination, to be exact.

This unique venue represents the surprising fusion between chess and the city's fervent nightlife 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 Aldgate, a short distance from the present location at Café 1001 on Brick Lane.

“I wanted to make chess clubs for individuals who look like me and those my generation,” he explained. “Usually, chess is only placed in spaces that are full of senior individuals, which isn't diverse sufficiently.”

On the first night, there were only eight boards between 16 people. Now, a “good night” at the weekly Knight Club will draw about 280 attendees.

Upon arrival, the venue seems more like a music night than a chess club. Cocktails are flowing and music is in the air, but the chessboards on every table aren't just ornamental or there as a novelty: they are all in use and encircled by a queue of onlookers waiting for their chance to play.

Jimmy Ifenayi, 24, has frequented the club often for the past four months. “I had no knowledge of chess prior to I came here, and the initial occasion I tried it, I played a game against a expert player. That was a swift victory, but it made me intrigued to study and continue enjoying chess,” she noted.

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

A Game Reborn: Chess in the Modern Era

In recent years, chess has been firmly established in the cultural zeitgeist. Its appeal of digital chess expanded rapidly during the global health crisis, making it one of the fastest-growing online games in the world. In popular culture, the streaming series The Queen’s Gambit, as well as the author's recent novel Intermezzo, have crafted a certain iconography surrounding the sport, which has attracted a fresh wave of enthusiasts.

However a great deal of this newfound appeal of the chess night is not always about the intricacies of the game; instead, it is the simplicity of social interaction that it facilitates, by taking a seat and engaging with someone who may be a complete unknown individual.

“It's a great Trojan horse,” remarked Jonah Freud, founder of a local venue in the city, a bookshop, library, coffee house and lounge, which has hosted a well-attended chess club weekly since it opened several years back. Freud’s objective is to “remove chess off a pedestal and make it feel similar to billiards in a casual pub”.

“It's a really simple vehicle to meet people. It kind of takes the pressure of the need of conversation from socializing with people. You can do the awkward part of making an introduction and talking to someone across a game rather than with no kind of shared activity around it.”

Expanding the Community: Chess Nights Outside the Capital

In Birmingham, Chesscafé is a regular chess night taking place at York’s Cafe, near the downtown area. “We found that individuals are looking for places where you can socialize, socialise and have a good time outside of visiting a bar or nightclub,” stated its founder and coordinator, Karan Singh, in his early twenties.

Together with his associate a partner, 21, Singh bought game sets, printed flyers and began the chess club in the start of the year, during his last year of university. Within months, he said their event has expanded to attract over 100 youthful participants to its events.

“Such a venue has a particular connotation associated with it, about it being quiet. Our approach is to move in the contrary way; it's a convivial party with chess as part of it,” he emphasized.

Learning and Engaging: An Alternative Cohort of Chess Enthusiasts

Among numerous attendees, chess clubs are an introduction to the activity. One participant, 27, is learning how to participate in chess with fellow attenders of chess night 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 is a strange idea, but it works,” she commented. “It encourages in-person exchanges rather than screen-based activities. It is a free neutral ground to meet strangers. It's welcoming, one doesn't need to necessarily be good at chess.”

She jokingly compared the popularity of chess among young people to the facade of the “performative male”, an attempt to simulate braininess while projecting the veneer of “coolness”. If the chess craze has cultivated 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're playing against opponents who are truly dedicated about it, it rapidly turns less fun.”

Competitive Gaming and Togetherness

It might seem like a some lighthearted activity for those looking to use a chessboard as a networking tool, but competitive players certainly have their role, even if off the main party area.

Another organizer, 22, who assists in organise the club,says that more skilled attenders have formed a league table. “Participants who are in the league will play each other, we'll progress to early rounds, advanced stages, and then we'll finally have a champion.”

A dedicated player, 23, is a competitive competitor and chess instructor. He has been the competition for about a twelve months and participates at the club nearly every week. “This offers a welcome option to engaging in serious chess; it gives a sense of community,” he expressed.

“It's interesting to see how it evolves into increasingly a communal pastime, because previously the only people who engaged in chess were those who didn't socialize; they just remained home. It's usually just a pair playing on a chessboard …

“What appeals to me about here is that you're not really facing the computer, you're engaging with real people.”