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One of the most vibrant spots on a weekday night in the East End's Brick Lane couldn't be a dining spot or a urban fashion label temporary shop, it is a chess gathering – or rather a chess and nightlife hybrid, to be exact.

Knight Club embodies the surprising crossover between chess and the city's dynamic nightlife scene. It was started by Yusuf Ntahilaja, 27, who began his initial chess club in the summer of 2023 at a smaller bar in Aldgate, a short distance from the present location at a popular cafe on the iconic lane.

“I wanted to create chess clubs for individuals who share my background and people my age,” he said. “Typically, chess is only put in spaces that are dominated by older people, which isn't diverse sufficiently.”

On the first night, there were just 8 boards shared by sixteen people. Today, a “successful evening” at the regular Knight Club will attract about two hundred eighty attendees.

At first glance, Knight Club seems closer to a DJ event than a traditional chess meeting. Cocktails are being served and tunes is playing, but the chessboards on each table aren't just decorative or there as a novelty: they are all in use and surrounded by a queue of spectators eagerly anticipating for their turn.

One regular, in her mid-twenties, has been attending Knight Club regularly for the last four months. “I had no knowledge of chess prior to I came here, and the first time I ever played, I competed in a game with a expert player. That was a quick victory, but it left me intrigued to study and continue enjoying chess,” she said.

“This gathering is about half social and 50% participants genuinely wanting to engage in chess … It's a pleasant way to relax, which doesn't involve going to a typical nightspot to meet other people my age.”

A Game Revitalized: The Ancient Game in the Contemporary Era

In recent years, chess has been cemented in the societal zeitgeist. Its appeal of online chess proliferated during the global health crisis, making it one of the fastest-growing online games in the world. In popular culture, the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, along with Sally Rooney’s latest novel Intermezzo, have created a distinct imagery surrounding the game, which has attracted a new generation of enthusiasts.

However a great deal of this recent attraction of the chess night isn't necessarily about the technicalities of the game; instead, it is the simplicity of connecting with others that it enables, by taking a seat and playing with a person who may be a complete stranger.

“It's a brilliant clever disguise,” said Jonah Freud, co-founder of Reference Point in the city, a bookstore, reading room, cafe and lounge, which has organized a well-attended chess club every Wednesday since it began four years ago. Freud’s objective is to “remove chess off a pedestal and transform it into similar to billiards in a casual pub”.

“It's a very easy tool to get to know people. It somewhat removes the pressure of the necessity of conversation away from socializing with people. One can do the uncomfortable bit of introducing yourself and talking to someone over a game instead of with no context involved.”

Expanding the Community: Chess Nights Beyond the Capital

In Birmingham, Chesscafé is a recurring chess event taking place at a city cafe, just outside the downtown area. “We found that people are looking for places where you can socialize, interact and enjoy a good time outside of going to a pub or nightclub,” stated its founder and coordinator, Karan Singh, 21.

Together with his friend a partner, also young, Singh bought game sets, printed flyers and started the chess club in January, during his final year of university. In less than a year, Singh reported their event has expanded to draw over one hundred youthful players to its gatherings.

“A chess club has a specific connotation associated with it, about it seeming quiet. Our approach is to move in the contrary way; it's a convivial party with chess involved,” he said.

Discovering and Engaging: A New Cohort of Players

Among numerous attendees, chess clubs are an introduction to the game. Zoë Kezia, in her late twenties, is picking up how to participate in chess with other attenders of chess night at Reference Point. Her interest in the pastime was piqued after an enjoyable night dancing and playing chess at a previous the club's occasions.

“It is a unique idea, but it works,” she commented. “It promotes in-person exchanges instead of screen-based activities. It's a free third space to meet strangers. It's welcoming, one doesn't need to necessarily be skilled at chess.”

She humorously compared the trendiness of chess with young people to the facade of the “ostentatious intellectual”, an effort to feign intellectualism while signaling the veneer of “coolness”. Whether the chess trend has fostered a genuine passion in the game isn't something she is entirely convinced by. “It's a wholesome phenomenon, but it’s largely a trend,” she observed. “Once you're playing against opponents who are really serious about it, it quickly becomes less fun.”

Serious Play and Togetherness

It may seem like a some lighthearted activity for those aiming to use a chessboard as a social vehicle, but serious participants do have their place, even if away from the main party area.

Lucia Ene-Lesikar, 22, who helps organise the club,says that more competitive attenders have formed a competitive ranking. “Participants who are part of the competition will play each other, we'll go to early rounds, semi-finals, and then we'll finally have a champion.”

Ryames Chan, 23, is a competitive player and chess teacher. He joined in the league for about a twelve months and plays at the club nearly weekly. “This is a nice alternative to playing intense chess; it provides a feeling of community,” he said.

“It's interesting to observe how it evolves into increasingly a communal activity, because in the past the only individuals who played chess were those who rarely socialize; they just stayed home. It's typically only two people competing on a game board …

“The thing I like about this place is that you're not actually facing the computer, you're facing live opponents.”