One of the liveliest venues on a Tuesday night in the East End's Brick Lane isn't a dining spot or a urban fashion label pop-up, it is a chess club – or rather a chess and nightlife hybrid, precisely speaking.
Knight Club embodies the surprising fusion between chess and London's fervent evening entertainment culture. It was started by a young entrepreneur, in his late twenties, who launched his initial chess club in August 2023 at a smaller bar in Aldgate, not too far from the present location at Café 1001 on Brick Lane.
“My goal was to make chess clubs for people who look like me and people my generation,” he explained. “Usually, chess is only put in environments that are full of older people, which is not diverse sufficiently.”
Initially, there were just eight boards between 16 people. Now, a “successful evening” at the regular club event will draw about 280 attendees.
Upon arrival, the venue feels more like a music night than a traditional chess meeting. Mixed drinks are being served and tunes is in the air, but the chessboards on every table aren't just ornamental or there as a gimmick: they are all in use and encircled by a line of onlookers eagerly anticipating for their turn.
Jimmy Ifenayi, 24, has frequented Knight Club regularly for the last four months. “I possessed no knowledge of chess prior to my first visit, and the first time I tried it, I played a game against a grandmaster. That was a swift win, but it made me intrigued to study and keep playing chess,” she noted.
“This gathering is about half networking and 50% participants actually wishing to play chess … It's a nice way to decompress, which doesn't involve going to a typical nightspot to see other people my age.”
A Game Revitalized: The Ancient Game in the Modern Age
Lately, chess has been cemented in the cultural spirit of the times. Its appeal of online chess proliferated throughout the global health crisis, making it one of the most rapidly expanding internet games globally. In popular culture, the streaming series The Queen’s Gambit, along with the author's latest novel a literary work, have crafted a certain imagery associated with the sport, which has drawn in a fresh wave of enthusiasts.
But much of this recent attraction of the chess club is not necessarily about the intricacies of the game; rather, it is the simplicity of social interaction that it enables, by pulling up a seat and engaging with someone who may be a complete stranger.
“It's a brilliant Trojan horse,” said one organizer, co-founder of a local venue in the city, a bookstore, reading room, cafe and bar, which has organized a popular chess club weekly since it opened four years ago. His objective is to “take chess off a pedestal and transform it into similar to billiards in a casual pub”.
“It's a very simple tool to get to know people. It somewhat removes the pressure of the need of small talk from interacting with people. You can handle the awkward bit of introducing yourself and chatting to someone over a board rather than with no shared activity around it.”
Expanding the Community: Chess Nights Outside the Capital
Elsewhere in the UK, Chesscafé is a recurring chess night held at York’s Cafe, just outside the city centre. “We found that people are seeking places where you can go out, socialise and have a good time outside of visiting a bar or nightclub,” said its founder and organiser, Karan Singh, 21.
Together with his associate Abdirahim Haji, 21, Singh bought chessboards, printed promotional materials and began the chess club in the start of the year, during his final year of college. In less than a year, he said Chesscafé has grown to attract more than one hundred youthful players to its events.
“A chess club has a particular reputation associated with it, about it being reserved. Our approach is to move in the contrary direction; it is a convivial party with chess as part of it,” he emphasized.
Learning and Engaging: A New Generation of Chess Enthusiasts
Among numerous attendees, chess clubs are an introduction to the game. One participant, in her late twenties, is picking up how to participate in chess with other visitors of the weekly event at the venue. Her interest in the game was sparked after an enjoyable night moving to music and engaging in chess at a previous the club's events.
“It's a unique idea, but it works,” she commented. “It promotes in-person exchanges instead of digital pastimes. It's a free neutral ground to meet strangers. It's welcoming, one doesn't have to necessarily be skilled at chess.”
She jokingly compared the popularity of chess among young people to the superficial image of the “ostentatious intellectual”, an attempt to simulate intellectualism while projecting the veneer of “coolness”. Whether the chess craze has cultivated a genuine passion in the game isn't something she's entirely sure about. “It's a positive phenomenon, but it’s largely a fad,” she observed. “When you compete against opponents who are really serious about it, it rapidly becomes less enjoyable.”
Serious Gaming and Togetherness
It might all be a bit of fun and games for individuals looking to employ a chessboard as a networking tool, but serious players certainly have their place, even if away from the main party area.
Another organizer, in her early twenties, who assists in organise the club,says that more skilled players have established a league table. “Participants who are in the league will face one another, we'll go to quarter-finals, semi-finals, and then we'll finally have a league winner.”
Ryames Chan, in his twenties, is a competitive player and chess teacher. He joined in the league for about a twelve months and participates at the club nearly every week. “This offers a welcome alternative to playing intense chess; it gives a sense of belonging,” he said.
“It's interesting to observe how it evolves into more of a social pastime, because in the past the only individuals who played chess were those who rarely socialize; they just stayed home. It is usually only a pair playing on a game board …
“What I like about this place is that you're not actually playing against the digital opponent, you're engaging with live opponents.”
