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Among the most vibrant locations on a weekday evening in east London's famous street isn't a restaurant or a streetwear label pop-up, it is a chess club – or rather a chess club-nightclub fusion, to be exact.

This unique venue represents the unlikely crossover between the classic game and London's fervent nightlife scene. It was started by Yusuf Ntahilaja, in his late twenties, who began his initial chess club in August 2023 at a smaller bar in a nearby area, a short distance from the present location at a popular cafe on the iconic lane.

“My goal was to create chess clubs for individuals who share my background and people my generation,” he explained. “Usually, chess is only placed in spaces that are dominated by older people, which is not inclusive sufficiently.”

Initially, there were only 8 boards shared by sixteen people. Today, a “successful evening” at the regular club event will attract about two hundred eighty people.

At first glance, Knight Club seems closer to a music night than a chess club. Mixed drinks are being served and music is in the air, but the game boards on each 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.

Jimmy Ifenayi, in her mid-twenties, has been attending the club regularly for the past four months. “I possessed little understanding of chess prior to I came here, and the first time I tried it, I played a game against a grandmaster. It was a quick victory, but it made me intrigued to study and continue enjoying chess,” she said.

“The event is about 50% social and half participants actually wishing to engage in chess … It is a pleasant way to decompress, which avoids going to a club to meet other people my generation.”

A Game Revitalized: Chess in the Contemporary Age

Lately, chess has been firmly established in the societal zeitgeist. The popularity of online chess expanded rapidly throughout the pandemic, making it one of the fastest-growing online games globally. Across media, the Netflix series a hit show, along with Sally Rooney’s latest novel a literary work, have created a certain iconography associated with the game, which has drawn in a new wave of enthusiasts.

However a great deal of this recent attraction of the chess club isn't always about the intricacies of the game; rather, it is the simplicity of connecting with others that it enables, by taking a chair and engaging with a person who could be a complete unknown individual.

“It's a great clever disguise,” remarked one organizer, co-founder of a local venue in the city, a bookstore, reading room, cafe and lounge, which has hosted a popular chess club every Wednesday since it opened four years ago. His objective is to “take chess from its elite status and make it feel like billiards in a casual pub”.

“It's a very simple vehicle to meet people. It kind of takes the pressure of the necessity of conversation away from interacting with people. You can do the awkward part of making an introduction and talking to a new acquaintance across a board rather than with no kind of shared activity around it.”

Expanding the Community: Social Gatherings Outside the Capital

Elsewhere in the UK, a similar initiative is a recurring chess event taking place at York’s Cafe, just outside the city centre. “Our observation was that people are seeking spaces where one can go out, interact and enjoy a good time outside of going to a bar or nightclub,” stated its founder and coordinator, Karan Singh, in his early twenties.

Alongside his friend a partner, 21, he purchased game sets, created promotional materials and began the chess club in January, during his last year of university. In less than a year, Singh said Chesscafé has grown to attract more than 100 youthful participants to its events.

“A chess club has a specific connotation associated with it, about it seeming quiet. We really try to move in the contrary way; it is a convivial party with chess involved,” he emphasized.

Discovering and Playing: An Alternative Cohort 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 other visitors of chess night at the venue. She became curious in the game was piqued after an enjoyable night dancing and playing chess at one of Knight Club's occasions.

“It is a strange concept, but it works,” she commented. “It encourages in-person exchanges rather than digital pastimes. It is a no-cost neutral ground to meet new people. It's inviting, one doesn't need to necessarily be skilled at chess.”

She jokingly likened the popularity of chess with the youth to the facade of the “ostentatious intellectual”, an effort to feign intellectualism while signaling the appearance of “hipness”. Whether the chess craze has fostered a authentic interest in the game isn't something she is quite convinced by. “It is a wholesome phenomenon, but it’s largely a fad,” she said. “When you compete with people who are really serious about it, it rapidly turns less enjoyable.”

Competitive Play and Community

It may seem like a bit of fun and games for those aiming to employ a game set as a networking tool, but serious participants certainly have their role, even if away from the dancefloor.

Lucia Ene-Lesikar, 22, who helps running the club,explains that increasingly competitive attenders have established a league table. “Participants who are part of the competition will play one another, we will progress to early rounds, semi-finals, and then we'll eventually have a champion.”

Ryames Chan, in his twenties, is a serious player and chess instructor. He joined the competition for about a twelve months and plays at the club nearly weekly. “This offers a welcome option to playing intense chess; it provides a sense of belonging,” he said.

“It is fascinating to observe how it evolves into increasingly a social activity, because in the past the sole individuals who engaged in chess were people who didn't go outside; they just stayed home. It's typically only two people playing on a game board …

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