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Among the most vibrant venues on a Tuesday evening in the East End's famous street couldn't be a dining spot or a streetwear brand temporary shop, it is a chess gathering – or a chess club-nightclub fusion, to be exact.

Knight Club represents the surprising crossover between chess and London's fervent nightlife culture. It was started by a young entrepreneur, 27, who began his initial chess club in the summer of 2023 at a more intimate bar in a nearby area, a short distance from the present location at a popular cafe on Brick Lane.

“My goal was to make chess clubs for people who look like me and people my generation,” he explained. “Typically, chess is only placed in environments that are dominated by senior individuals, which isn't diverse enough.”

On the first night, there were only 8 boards shared by 16 people. Now, a “good night” at the regular club event will attract approximately two hundred eighty attendees.

Upon arrival, Knight Club feels closer to a DJ event than a chess club. Cocktails are flowing and music is in the air, but the game boards on every table aren't just ornamental or there as a gimmick: they are all in use and surrounded by a queue of onlookers waiting for their chance to play.

One regular, 24, has frequented the club regularly for the past four months. “I possessed little understanding of chess before my first visit, and the initial occasion I ever played, I competed in a game with a expert player. That was a quick win, but it made me intrigued to study and keep playing chess,” she said.

“The event is about 50% social and 50% people genuinely wanting to engage in chess … It is a nice way to decompress, which avoids going to a club to see others my age.”

A Game Reborn: Chess in the Modern Age

Lately, chess has been cemented in the cultural spirit of the times. Its appeal of online chess expanded rapidly during the global health crisis, establishing it as one of the fastest-growing online games in the world. Across media, the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, along with the author's latest novel Intermezzo, have created a certain iconography associated with the sport, which has attracted a fresh wave of enthusiasts.

However a great deal of this recent attraction of the chess night is not always about the intricacies of the play; instead, it is the ease of connecting with others that it enables, by pulling up a chair and engaging with someone who could be a complete unknown individual.

“It is a great clever disguise,” said one organizer, founder of a local venue in London, a bookshop, library, coffee house and bar, which has hosted a well-attended chess club every Wednesday since it began several years back. His aim is to “take chess off a pedestal and transform it into similar to billiards in a dive bar”.

“It's a very easy vehicle to meet people. It somewhat takes the weight of the need of small talk from socializing with people. One can do the uncomfortable part of introducing yourself and chatting to a new acquaintance over a game instead of with no context around it.”

Growing the Community: Chess Nights Beyond London

In Birmingham, a similar initiative is a recurring chess night taking place at a city cafe, just outside the downtown area. “Our observation was that people are looking for spaces where one can socialize, socialise and have a fun evening beyond going to a bar or nightclub,” stated its founder and organiser, Karan Singh, 21.

Together with his friend a partner, 21, he purchased game sets, printed promotional materials and began the chess club in the start of the year, during his last year of university. In less than a year, he reported Chesscafé has expanded to draw over one hundred young players to its gatherings.

“A chess club has a particular reputation associated with it, about it seeming reserved. We really try to move in the opposite way; it is a social get-together with chess involved,” he said.

Discovering and Engaging: An Alternative Generation of Players

For many, chess clubs are an introduction to the activity. One participant, 27, is picking up how to play chess with fellow attenders of chess night at the venue. Her interest in the pastime was piqued after an pleasurable night dancing and playing chess at a previous Knight Club's events.

“It's a strange idea, but it functions well,” she said. “It encourages in-person exchanges rather than digital activities. It is a no-cost third space to meet strangers. It's inviting, one doesn't need to necessarily be skilled at chess.”

Kezia jokingly compared the trendiness of chess among the youth to the facade of the “performative male”, an effort to feign braininess while signaling the appearance of “hipness”. If the chess craze has fostered a genuine interest in the sport isn't something she is entirely convinced by. “It's a positive phenomenon, but it’s largely a trend,” she observed. “When you're playing against opponents who are truly dedicated about it, it quickly becomes less enjoyable.”

Serious Play and Community

It might seem like a bit of fun and games for those looking to use a chessboard as a networking tool, but serious players certainly have their place, even if off the dancefloor.

Lucia Ene-Lesikar, in her early twenties, who assists in organise the club,says that increasingly skilled players have formed a league table. “Participants who are part of the competition will play each other, we'll progress to quarter-finals, advanced stages, and then we'll finally have a league winner.”

A dedicated player, in his twenties, is a competitive competitor and chess teacher. He joined the competition for about a twelve months and plays at the club almost every week. “This offers a nice alternative to playing intense chess; it provides a sense of belonging,” he expressed.

“It's fascinating to observe how it becomes increasingly a communal pastime, because previously the only individuals who engaged in chess were those who rarely socialize; they simply remained home. It's usually just two people playing on a game board …

“The thing I like about here is that one isn't actually facing the digital opponent, you are facing real people.”