🔗 Share this article

One of the most vibrant spots on a weekday night in east London's famous street isn't a restaurant or a urban fashion label pop-up, it is a chess club – or rather a chess and nightlife fusion, to be exact.

Knight Club represents the unlikely blend between the classic game and the city's fervent nightlife culture. It was started by a young entrepreneur, 27, who launched his first chess club in the summer of 2023 at a more intimate bar in Aldgate, not too far from the current location at Café 1001 on the iconic lane.

“I wanted to make chess clubs for individuals who look like me and people my generation,” he explained. “Typically, chess is only put in spaces that are dominated by senior individuals, which isn't inclusive enough.”

Initially, there were only eight boards shared by 16 people. Today, a “good night” at the regular club event will attract approximately two hundred eighty attendees.

Upon arrival, the venue feels more like a music night than a traditional chess meeting. Cocktails 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 surrounded by a line of onlookers eagerly anticipating for their turn.

One regular, in her mid-twenties, has been attending Knight Club regularly for the past several months. “I possessed little understanding 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 swift win, but it left me intrigued to study and continue enjoying chess,” she noted.

“This gathering is about 50% social and half people actually wishing to play chess … It's a nice way to decompress, which avoids visiting a typical nightspot to meet others my generation.”

An Activity Revitalized: The Ancient Game in the Modern Era

Lately, chess has been firmly established in the cultural zeitgeist. The popularity of online chess expanded rapidly during the pandemic, establishing it as one of the most rapidly expanding online pastimes globally. Across media, the Netflix series a hit show, along with the author's recent novel a literary work, have created a certain iconography surrounding the sport, which has attracted a fresh wave of players.

However much of this recent appeal of the chess night is not necessarily about the intricacies of the game; rather, it is the ease of connecting with others that it enables, by pulling up a seat and engaging with a person who could be a complete unknown individual.

“It's a brilliant clever disguise,” remarked Jonah Freud, founder of Reference Point in London, a bookshop, library, coffee house and bar, which has organized a well-attended chess club weekly since it opened several years back. His objective is to “remove chess from its elite status and make it feel like pool in a casual pub”.

“It is a very simple vehicle to get to know people. It somewhat takes the weight of the need of conversation from socializing with people. One can handle the awkward part of introducing yourself and talking to a new acquaintance across a board instead of with no context involved.”

Growing the Network: Social Gatherings Outside the Capital

In Birmingham, a similar initiative is a regular chess night held at York’s Cafe, just outside the downtown area. “We found that individuals are seeking spaces where you can go out, socialise and enjoy a good time outside of visiting a bar or club,” said its founder and coordinator, Karan Singh, 21.

Alongside his associate a partner, 21, he purchased chessboards, created flyers and began the chess club in January, during his last year of college. Within months, Singh said Chesscafé has expanded to attract more than one hundred youthful players to its gatherings.

“Such a venue has a particular reputation to it, about it being quiet. We really try to go the opposite direction; it is a convivial party with chess involved,” he emphasized.

Discovering and Engaging: A New Cohort of Players

Among numerous attendees, chess clubs are an introduction to the game. One participant, in her late twenties, is picking up how to play chess with other visitors of chess night at Reference Point. Her interest in the game was piqued after an enjoyable evening dancing and engaging in chess at one of the club's events.

“It is a strange concept, but it works,” she commented. “It promotes face-to-face interactions instead of digital activities. It's a no-cost third space to encounter new people. It's welcoming, one doesn't need to necessarily be good at chess.”

Kezia jokingly likened the trendiness of chess among young people to the superficial image of the “performative male”, an attempt to feign braininess while signaling the appearance of “coolness”. If the chess trend has cultivated a authentic passion in the game isn't a notion she is quite convinced by. “It is a positive trend, but it’s very much a fad,” she observed. “Once you're playing with people who are truly dedicated about it, it rapidly becomes less enjoyable.”

Competitive Gaming and Togetherness

It might all be a bit of fun and games for individuals aiming to use a chessboard as a networking tool, but serious players certainly have their place, albeit away from the main party area.

Lucia Ene-Lesikar, in her early twenties, who assists in running Knight Club,says that more skilled attenders have established a league table. “People who are in the league will play each other, we'll progress to early rounds, semi-finals, and then we will finally have a league winner.”

A dedicated player, in his twenties, is a competitive player and chess instructor. He has been in the league for about a twelve months and plays at the club almost every week. “This is a nice option to engaging in intense chess; it gives a sense of community,” he said.

“It's interesting to observe how it becomes more of a social activity, because in the past the only people who played chess were people who rarely socialize; they just remained home. It's usually just a pair competing on a chessboard …

“The thing appeals to me about here is that one isn't actually playing against the digital opponent, you are engaging with live opponents.”