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Among the most vibrant spots on a weekday evening in east London's famous street isn't a restaurant or a urban fashion label pop-up, it's a chess club – or rather a chess and nightlife fusion, precisely speaking.

Knight Club represents the surprising crossover between the classic game and London's fervent nightlife culture. It was founded by Yusuf Ntahilaja, 27, who launched his first chess club in August 2023 at a more intimate bar in a nearby area, not too far from the current location at Café 1001 on the iconic lane.

“I wanted to create chess clubs for individuals who look like me and those my age,” he explained. “Usually, chess is only placed in environments that are dominated by senior individuals, which isn't diverse enough.”

On the first night, there were only 8 boards shared by sixteen people. Today, a “successful evening” at the weekly club event will attract approximately 280 attendees.

Upon arrival, the venue seems more like 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 gimmick: they are all in use and encircled by a queue of onlookers waiting for their turn.

One regular, in her mid-twenties, has been attending Knight Club often for the past several months. “I had no knowledge of chess before my first visit, and the initial occasion I ever played, I competed in a game against a expert player. That was a swift win, but it made me intrigued to study and continue enjoying chess,” she noted.

“The event is about 50% social and half people actually wishing to play chess … It is a pleasant way to decompress, which doesn't involve going to a club to see other people my age.”

An Activity Reborn: The Ancient Game in the Modern Era

In recent years, chess has been firmly established in the cultural spirit of the times. Its appeal of online chess expanded rapidly during the pandemic, establishing it as one of the most rapidly expanding internet pastimes globally. In popular culture, the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, as well as the author's latest novel Intermezzo, have crafted a certain iconography associated with the sport, which has drawn in a new wave of enthusiasts.

However much of this newfound attraction of the chess club isn't necessarily about the technicalities of the play; rather, it is the ease of social interaction that it enables, by taking a chair and engaging with someone who may be a complete unknown individual.

“It is a brilliant clever disguise,” remarked Jonah Freud, co-founder of a local venue in London, a bookstore, library, cafe and bar, which has hosted a well-attended chess club every Wednesday since it opened several years back. His aim is to “remove chess from its elite status and transform it into similar to pool in a casual pub”.

“It is a very easy tool to meet people. It somewhat removes the pressure of the need of conversation from socializing with people. One can handle the awkward part of introducing yourself and talking to someone over a board rather than with no kind of context involved.”

Expanding the Community: Social Gatherings Beyond the Capital

Elsewhere in the UK, Chesscafé is a regular chess night held at a city cafe, just outside the city centre. “We found that people are looking for spaces where you can socialize, socialise and have a good time outside of visiting a pub or club,” stated its creator and coordinator, Karan Singh, in his early twenties.

Together with his friend a partner, also young, Singh purchased game sets, created promotional materials and began the chess club in January, while in his last year of university. In less than a year, he reported their event has grown to attract more than one hundred youthful players to its gatherings.

“A chess club has a particular connotation to it, about it seeming reserved. We really try to go the opposite way; it is a convivial party with chess involved,” he said.

Discovering and Engaging: A New Cohort of Players

For many, chess clubs are an introduction to the activity. Zoë Kezia, 27, is picking up how to play chess with other attenders of the weekly event at the venue. Her interest in the pastime was sparked after an enjoyable evening moving to music and engaging in chess at one of Knight Club's events.

“It's a strange idea, but it works,” she commented. “It encourages face-to-face exchanges instead of screen-based activities. It is a no-cost neutral ground to meet new people. It's welcoming, one doesn't have to necessarily be skilled at chess.”

Kezia jokingly compared the trendiness of chess with the youth to the facade of the “ostentatious intellectual”, an effort to feign intellectualism while signaling the veneer of “hipness”. Whether the chess craze has cultivated a genuine interest in the sport is not a notion she's quite convinced by. “It is a positive trend, but it’s largely a trend,” she said. “When you compete against people who are really serious about it, it rapidly turns less fun.”

Serious Play and Community

It may seem like a bit of lighthearted activity for those looking to use a game set as a social vehicle, but serious players certainly have their place, even if away from the main party area.

Lucia Ene-Lesikar, in her early twenties, who helps organise the club,explains that more skilled attenders have established a competitive ranking. “People who are part of the competition will face one another, we'll progress to quarter-finals, advanced stages, and then we will eventually have a league winner.”

A dedicated player, in his twenties, is a serious competitor and chess instructor. He has been the competition for about a twelve months and participates at the club almost weekly. “This offers a nice alternative to engaging in serious chess; it gives a sense of community,” he expressed.

“It's fascinating to see how it becomes increasingly a communal activity, because previously the only individuals who engaged in chess were those who rarely go outside; they simply remained home. It's usually just a pair playing on a chessboard …

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