🔗 Share this article

One of the liveliest locations on a Tuesday night in east London's Brick Lane couldn't be a restaurant or a streetwear label temporary shop, it is a chess club – or a chess and nightlife combination, to be exact.

This unique venue represents the surprising crossover between the classic game and the city's fervent evening entertainment scene. It was founded by Yusuf Ntahilaja, in his late twenties, who launched his initial chess club in August 2023 at a smaller bar in a nearby area, a short distance from the current location at a popular cafe on the iconic lane.

“I wanted to create chess clubs for individuals who share my background and those my age,” he explained. “Typically, chess is only placed in spaces that are dominated by senior individuals, which is not inclusive enough.”

On the first night, there were only 8 boards between 16 people. Today, a “good night” at the regular Knight Club will draw about two hundred eighty people.

Upon arrival, Knight Club seems more like a music night than a traditional chess meeting. Cocktails are being served and tunes is in the air, but the chessboards on each table aren't just decorative or there as a novelty: they are all in use and encircled by a line of onlookers eagerly anticipating for their chance to play.

One regular, 24, has frequented Knight Club often for the past several months. “I possessed no knowledge of chess before I came here, and the first time I tried it, I played a game against a expert player. It was a swift victory, but it made me intrigued to study and continue enjoying chess,” she said.

“This gathering is about half social and half people actually wishing to engage in chess … It is a pleasant way to unwind, which doesn't involve going to a club to see others my age.”

A Game Reborn: Chess in the Modern Era

In recent years, chess has been cemented in the societal zeitgeist. The popularity of digital chess expanded rapidly throughout the global health crisis, establishing it as one of the fastest-growing online pastimes globally. Across media, the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, along with Sally Rooney’s latest novel a literary work, have crafted a certain iconography associated with the sport, which has attracted a new generation of enthusiasts.

But a great deal of this recent attraction of the chess night is not always about the technicalities of the play; instead, it is the simplicity of connecting with others that it enables, by pulling up a seat and playing with a person who may be a total unknown individual.

“It's a brilliant clever disguise,” said one organizer, founder of Reference Point in the city, a bookshop, reading room, coffee house and bar, which has organized a well-attended chess club every Wednesday since it opened four years ago. His aim is to “remove chess from its elite status and make it feel like pool in a casual pub”.

“It's a very simple tool to meet people. It somewhat removes the weight of the necessity of conversation from socializing with people. One can handle the uncomfortable bit of introducing yourself and chatting to someone over a board instead of with no shared activity around it.”

Growing the Network: Social Gatherings Beyond London

Elsewhere in the UK, Chesscafé is a recurring chess event taking place at a city cafe, just outside the city centre. “We found that individuals are seeking places where you can go out, interact and have a good time beyond visiting a bar or nightclub,” stated its creator and coordinator, Karan Singh, 21.

Alongside his friend Abdirahim Haji, 21, he bought game sets, created flyers and started the chess club in the start of the year, during his final year of university. Within months, Singh said Chesscafé has expanded to attract over 100 young players to its gatherings.

“Such a venue has a particular reputation associated with it, about it being reserved. Our approach is to move in the opposite way; it's a convivial get-together with chess involved,” he emphasized.

Discovering and Playing: An Alternative Cohort of Chess Enthusiasts

For many, chess clubs are an entry point to the game. Zoë Kezia, 27, is picking up how to participate in chess with fellow visitors of the weekly event at the venue. Her interest in the pastime was sparked after an pleasurable night moving to music and engaging in chess at one of the club's occasions.

“It's a strange concept, but it functions well,” she said. “It promotes in-person exchanges rather than digital pastimes. It's a no-cost third space to meet new people. It is welcoming, one doesn't have to necessarily be skilled at chess.”

Kezia jokingly compared the popularity of chess with young people to the facade of the “performative male”, an effort to simulate braininess while signaling the veneer of “coolness”. If the chess craze has cultivated a authentic interest in the game is not something she is entirely convinced by. “It is a positive phenomenon, but it’s very much a fad,” she said. “Once you compete against opponents who are really serious about it, it quickly becomes less fun.”

Serious Play and Community

It may seem like a some fun and games for individuals aiming to use a game set as a social vehicle, but competitive players do have their place, albeit off the main party area.

Another organizer, 22, who assists in running Knight Club,explains that more competitive players have established a league table. “People who are in the league will play one another, we'll go to early rounds, advanced stages, and then we will finally have a champion.”

A dedicated player, in his twenties, is a competitive competitor and chess teacher. He has been the competition for about a year and participates at the club nearly weekly. “This offers a welcome option to engaging in intense chess; it gives a feeling of community,” he expressed.

“It's interesting to see how it evolves into increasingly a social activity, because in the past the sole individuals who engaged in chess were those who didn't socialize; they simply remained home. It's usually just a pair competing on a game board …

“What appeals to me about here is that one isn't actually facing the digital opponent, you're engaging with real people.”