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Among the liveliest locations on a weekday evening in east London's famous street isn't a restaurant or a streetwear label pop-up, it's a chess gathering – or a chess club-nightclub combination, precisely speaking.

Knight Club embodies the surprising crossover between chess 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 make chess clubs for people who share my background and people my generation,” he explained. “Usually, chess is only put in spaces that are full of older people, which isn't inclusive enough.”

On the first night, there were just eight boards between sixteen people. Today, a “good night” at the regular club event will attract approximately two hundred eighty attendees.

At first glance, the venue seems more like a DJ event than a chess club. Cocktails are being served and tunes is playing, but the chessboards on each table are not just ornamental or there as a gimmick: they are all occupied and surrounded by a queue of spectators waiting for their chance to play.

One regular, 24, has frequented the club often for the last several months. “I had little understanding of chess prior to I came here, and the initial occasion I tried it, I competed in a game with a grandmaster. It was a swift win, but it left me intrigued to learn and continue enjoying chess,” she noted.

“This gathering is about 50% networking and half participants actually wishing to play chess … It is a pleasant way to unwind, which avoids going to a typical nightspot to see other people my age.”

An Activity Revitalized: The Ancient Game in the Contemporary Era

In recent years, chess has been firmly established in the cultural zeitgeist. Its appeal of digital chess proliferated during the global health crisis, making it one of the fastest-growing internet pastimes globally. Across media, the streaming series a hit show, as well as the author's latest novel a literary work, have created a certain imagery surrounding the game, which has attracted a new generation of enthusiasts.

However much of this recent attraction of the chess club is not always about the technicalities of the game; instead, it is the simplicity of social interaction that it facilitates, by taking a chair and engaging with someone who may be a total unknown individual.

“It's a brilliant Trojan horse,” said Jonah Freud, founder of Reference Point in the city, a bookshop, library, cafe and lounge, which has hosted a well-attended chess club every Wednesday since it began several years back. Freud’s objective is to “remove chess from its elite status and make it feel like pool in a dive bar”.

“It is a very simple tool to meet people. It somewhat removes the weight of the need of conversation from interacting with people. You can handle the uncomfortable bit of making an introduction and chatting to someone across a game instead of with no context around it.”

Expanding the Network: Social Gatherings Beyond the Capital

In Birmingham, Chesscafé is a recurring chess night held at a city cafe, just outside the city centre. “Our observation was that individuals are looking for places where one can go out, interact and enjoy a fun evening beyond visiting a pub or club,” stated its creator and coordinator, a young leader, 21.

Alongside his friend Abdirahim Haji, also young, he purchased game sets, created flyers and began the chess club in the start of the year, during his final year of university. Within months, Singh said their event has grown to draw over 100 youthful players to its events.

“Such a venue has a specific connotation associated with it, about it seeming quiet. We really try to move in the opposite way; it is a social party with chess involved,” he said.

Discovering and Playing: A New Cohort of Players

For many, chess clubs are an entry point to the activity. Zoë Kezia, in her late twenties, is learning how to participate in chess with fellow visitors of chess night at the venue. She became curious in the pastime was sparked after an enjoyable night moving to music and playing chess at one of Knight Club's events.

“It's a unique idea, but it functions well,” she commented. “It encourages face-to-face interactions instead of digital pastimes. It's a no-cost third space to meet strangers. It is inviting, one doesn't have to necessarily be skilled at chess.”

She jokingly compared the trendiness of chess among young people to the superficial image of the “performative male”, an attempt to feign braininess while projecting the veneer of “hipness”. Whether the chess trend has cultivated a authentic interest in the sport isn't a notion she is quite convinced by. “It is a wholesome phenomenon, but it’s largely a fad,” she said. “Once you compete against opponents who are really dedicated about it, it quickly turns less fun.”

Serious Gaming and Togetherness

It might seem like a some fun and games for those looking to use a chessboard as a social vehicle, but serious participants certainly have their place, even if off the dancefloor.

Another organizer, 22, who helps running the club,explains that more skilled players have established a league table. “Participants who are in the league will face each other, we'll progress to quarter-finals, advanced stages, and then we will eventually have a champion.”

A dedicated player, 23, is a competitive competitor and chess teacher. He has been the competition for about a twelve months and participates at the club nearly weekly. “This offers a welcome alternative to playing intense chess; it gives a sense of community,” he expressed.

“It is fascinating to observe how it evolves into increasingly a communal activity, because in the past the only people who engaged in chess were those who didn't go outside; they just stayed home. It is typically just a pair competing on a chessboard …

“The thing appeals to me about this place is that you're not really facing the digital opponent, you're engaging with live opponents.”