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One of the liveliest venues on a Tuesday night in east London's famous street isn't a dining spot or a streetwear brand pop-up, it's a chess gathering – or rather a chess and nightlife hybrid, to be exact.

Knight Club represents the surprising blend between chess and London's dynamic nightlife scene. It was founded by a young entrepreneur, 27, 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.

“I wanted to create chess clubs for people who share my background and those my generation,” he said. “Typically, chess is only put in spaces that are full of senior individuals, which is not diverse sufficiently.”

Initially, there were just 8 boards between 16 people. Now, a “successful evening” at the weekly Knight Club will draw about two hundred eighty people.

Upon arrival, the venue feels closer to a music night than a chess club. Cocktails are flowing and music is playing, but the game boards on every table are not just decorative or there as a gimmick: they are all occupied and encircled by a line of onlookers eagerly anticipating for their turn.

One regular, 24, has frequented Knight Club regularly for the last several months. “I possessed no knowledge of chess prior to my first visit, and the initial occasion I ever played, I played a game with a expert player. That was a swift win, but it made me fascinated to study and continue enjoying chess,” she said.

“This gathering is about half networking and half people genuinely wanting to play chess … It's a pleasant way to decompress, which doesn't involve going to a club to meet others my age.”

A Game Revitalized: The Ancient Game in the Contemporary Era

Lately, chess has been firmly established in the societal spirit of the times. The popularity of online chess expanded rapidly during the pandemic, making it one of the fastest-growing online pastimes in the world. In popular culture, the Netflix series a hit show, along with Sally Rooney’s latest novel Intermezzo, have crafted a distinct iconography surrounding the game, which has drawn in a new wave of enthusiasts.

However a great deal of this newfound attraction of the chess night isn't always about the intricacies of the play; instead, it is the ease of social interaction that it facilitates, by taking a chair and engaging with a person who may be a total stranger.

“It is a great clever disguise,” said Jonah Freud, co-founder of Reference Point in London, a bookshop, library, cafe and bar, which has organized a well-attended chess club every Wednesday since it began several years back. Freud’s aim is to “remove chess from its elite status and make it feel similar to billiards in a casual pub”.

“It is a really easy tool to get to know people. It kind of takes the weight of the need of conversation away from socializing with people. You can do the uncomfortable bit of introducing yourself and chatting to a new acquaintance across a board rather than with no kind of context around it.”

Expanding the Network: Social Gatherings Outside London

Elsewhere in the UK, Chesscafé is a regular chess event taking place at York’s Cafe, just outside the downtown area. “We found that individuals are looking for spaces where one can socialize, interact and have a fun evening outside of visiting a bar or nightclub,” said its founder and coordinator, Karan Singh, in his early twenties.

Together with his friend Abdirahim Haji, 21, he purchased chessboards, printed flyers and started the chess club in the start of the year, during his last year of university. Within months, he said Chesscafé has expanded to draw more than one hundred young participants to its events.

“A chess club has a specific connotation to it, about it seeming reserved. We really try to go the contrary way; it is a convivial get-together with chess involved,” he emphasized.

Learning and Playing: A New Generation of Chess Enthusiasts

For many, chess clubs are an introduction to the game. One participant, in her late twenties, is learning how to play chess with fellow attenders of the weekly event at the venue. Her interest in the pastime was sparked after an enjoyable evening moving to music and playing chess at a previous the club's occasions.

“It's a unique idea, but it functions well,” she commented. “It promotes in-person exchanges rather than digital pastimes. It's a free third space to meet strangers. It's inviting, you don't need to necessarily be skilled at chess.”

Kezia humorously likened the trendiness of chess with the youth to the facade of the “performative male”, an attempt to simulate braininess while signaling the veneer of “coolness”. Whether the chess trend has fostered a authentic passion in the sport isn't a notion she is quite convinced by. “It is a positive trend, but it’s largely a fad,” she said. “When you're playing with people who are truly dedicated about it, it rapidly turns less enjoyable.”

Serious Gaming and Togetherness

It may seem like a some fun and games for those aiming to employ a chessboard as a social vehicle, but serious participants do have their role, even if away from the main party area.

Another organizer, in her early twenties, who assists in running the club,says that more competitive players have established a league table. “People who are in the league will face each other, we'll go to early rounds, semi-finals, and then we will eventually have a champion.”

A dedicated player, in his twenties, is a competitive player and chess teacher. He has been in the league for about a year and plays at the club almost weekly. “This offers a welcome alternative to engaging in serious chess; it provides a feeling of belonging,” he said.

“It's interesting to see how it evolves into increasingly a communal activity, because previously the only people who played chess were those who didn't socialize; they simply remained home. It is usually just a pair competing on a game board …

“What appeals to me about here is that you're not really facing the computer, you're facing real people.”