🔗 Share this article

One of the most vibrant spots on a weekday night in the East End's famous street isn't a restaurant or a urban fashion brand temporary shop, it is a chess gathering – or rather a chess and nightlife fusion, precisely speaking.

This unique venue represents the surprising blend between the classic game and the city's fervent nightlife culture. It was founded by a young entrepreneur, in his late twenties, who began his initial chess club in August 2023 at a more intimate bar in Aldgate, a short distance from the present location at a popular cafe on the iconic lane.

“My goal was to create chess clubs for people who share my background and those my age,” he said. “Typically, chess is only placed in spaces that are dominated by older people, which is not diverse sufficiently.”

Initially, there were just 8 boards between 16 people. Now, a “successful evening” at the weekly club event will draw approximately two hundred eighty attendees.

At first glance, Knight Club feels closer to a DJ event than a chess club. Mixed drinks are flowing and tunes is playing, but the game boards on every table aren't just decorative or there as a novelty: they are all occupied and encircled by a line of spectators waiting for their chance to play.

One regular, in her mid-twenties, has been attending the 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 competed in a game against a expert player. It was a quick win, but it made me intrigued to learn and keep playing chess,” she said.

“The event is about half social and 50% participants actually wishing to play chess … It's a pleasant way to relax, which avoids going to a club to meet other people my age.”

A Game Revitalized: Chess in the Contemporary Age

Lately, chess has been firmly established in the societal zeitgeist. The popularity of online chess proliferated throughout the global health crisis, making it one of the most rapidly expanding online games globally. Across media, the streaming series a hit show, as well as the author's recent novel Intermezzo, have created a distinct iconography surrounding the game, which has drawn in a fresh generation of enthusiasts.

But much of this recent appeal of the chess night isn't necessarily about the technicalities of the game; instead, it is the simplicity of connecting with others that it facilitates, by pulling up a chair and playing with a person who may be a total stranger.

“It is a brilliant Trojan horse,” said one organizer, founder of a local venue in the city, a bookshop, library, coffee house and bar, which has hosted a well-attended chess club every Wednesday since it opened several years back. His objective is to “take chess off a pedestal and transform it into like pool in a casual pub”.

“It is a really easy vehicle to meet people. It kind of removes the weight of the need of conversation from socializing with people. You can do the uncomfortable part of making an introduction and chatting to someone across a board rather than with no kind of context around it.”

Expanding the Network: Chess Nights Beyond London

In Birmingham, a similar initiative is a regular chess night taking place at York’s Cafe, near the downtown area. “Our observation was that people are seeking places where one can go out, socialise and have a fun evening outside of going to a bar or nightclub,” stated its founder and organiser, Karan Singh, in his early twenties.

Alongside his associate Abdirahim Haji, 21, Singh bought chessboards, created flyers and started the chess club in the start of the year, during his final year of college. Within months, he reported their event has grown to attract more than 100 youthful participants to its gatherings.

“Such a venue has a specific connotation associated with it, about it seeming reserved. Our approach is to go the contrary direction; it is a social get-together with chess involved,” he emphasized.

Learning and Playing: An Alternative Cohort of Chess Enthusiasts

Among numerous attendees, chess clubs are an entry point to the activity. One participant, 27, is picking up how to play chess with other visitors of chess night at Reference Point. She became curious in the pastime was sparked after an pleasurable night moving to music and engaging in chess at a previous the club's events.

“It's a unique concept, but it works,” she said. “It promotes face-to-face interactions rather than digital activities. It's a no-cost neutral ground to meet strangers. It's welcoming, one doesn't have to necessarily be skilled at chess.”

She humorously compared the trendiness of chess among the youth to the facade of the “performative male”, an effort to feign intellectualism while projecting the veneer of “coolness”. Whether the chess trend has cultivated a genuine interest in the sport isn't something she's entirely convinced by. “It is a positive trend, but it’s largely a fad,” she observed. “Once you're playing with people who are really serious about it, it quickly becomes less enjoyable.”

Competitive Gaming and Community

It may seem like a some fun and games for individuals looking to employ a chessboard as a networking tool, but competitive participants do have their role, albeit off the dancefloor.

Lucia Ene-Lesikar, 22, who assists in organise Knight Club,says that more competitive players have established a league table. “People who are part of the competition will face one another, we will progress to quarter-finals, advanced stages, and then we'll eventually have a champion.”

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 welcome option to playing intense chess; it provides a feeling of community,” he said.

“It's interesting to see how it becomes more of a social activity, because previously the only people who engaged in chess were those who didn't go outside; they just remained home. It is typically only 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 engaging with real people.”