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Among the liveliest locations on a weekday night in the East End's famous street couldn't be a dining spot or a urban fashion brand temporary shop, it's a chess gathering – or rather a chess club-nightclub hybrid, precisely speaking.

Knight Club represents the unlikely blend between the classic game and the city's dynamic evening entertainment scene. It was started by Yusuf Ntahilaja, 27, who launched his initial chess club in August 2023 at a smaller bar in Aldgate, a short distance from the present location at a popular cafe on the iconic lane.

“My goal was to make chess clubs for people who share my background and people my generation,” he said. “Typically, chess is only placed in spaces that are full of senior individuals, which isn't diverse enough.”

On the first night, there were only eight boards between sixteen people. Now, a “good night” at the regular club event will attract about 280 people.

At first glance, Knight Club feels more like a music night than a chess club. Cocktails are flowing and music is playing, but the chessboards on each table are not just ornamental or there as a novelty: they are all occupied and surrounded by a queue of onlookers waiting for their turn.

One regular, 24, has been attending Knight Club often for the past four months. “I possessed little understanding of chess prior to my first visit, and the first time I ever played, I competed in a game against a grandmaster. That was a swift win, but it made me intrigued to learn and continue enjoying chess,” she noted.

“This gathering is about 50% social and 50% participants genuinely wishing to play chess … It's a nice way to unwind, which avoids going to a typical nightspot to see other people my generation.”

A Game Reborn: The Ancient Game in the Contemporary Age

Lately, chess has been cemented in the cultural spirit of the times. Its appeal of digital chess expanded rapidly throughout the pandemic, establishing it as one of the most rapidly expanding online pastimes globally. Across media, the Netflix series a hit show, as well as Sally Rooney’s recent novel Intermezzo, have crafted a distinct iconography associated with the sport, which has attracted a fresh generation of enthusiasts.

But much of this recent attraction of the chess club is not necessarily about the intricacies of the game; instead, it is the simplicity of social interaction that it enables, by taking a chair and engaging with someone who could be a complete unknown individual.

“It is a great Trojan horse,” said one organizer, founder of a local venue in London, a bookshop, library, cafe and bar, which has hosted a well-attended chess club weekly since it began several years back. His objective is to “remove chess off a pedestal and transform it into similar to billiards in a dive bar”.

“It's a really easy tool to get to know people. It kind of takes the weight of the need of small talk from socializing with people. You can do the uncomfortable bit of making an introduction and talking to someone over a game rather than with no context around it.”

Growing the Network: Social Gatherings Beyond London

In Birmingham, a similar initiative is a regular chess night taking place at York’s Cafe, just outside the downtown area. “Our observation was that people are seeking spaces where you can socialize, interact and have a fun evening beyond going to a pub or club,” stated its founder and organiser, Karan Singh, in his early twenties.

Alongside his friend Abdirahim Haji, 21, Singh bought game sets, created promotional materials and began the chess club in the start of the year, during his final year of university. Within months, he said their event has grown to attract more than one hundred youthful players to its gatherings.

“A chess club has a specific connotation to it, about it seeming quiet. We really try to go the contrary direction; it's a convivial party with chess as part of it,” he said.

Discovering and Engaging: An Alternative Generation of Chess Enthusiasts

Among numerous attendees, chess clubs are an entry point to the game. One participant, in her late twenties, is picking up how to participate in chess with other visitors of chess night at Reference Point. Her interest in the pastime was sparked after an pleasurable evening moving to music and engaging in chess at a previous Knight Club's events.

“It is a unique idea, but it works,” she commented. “It encourages face-to-face exchanges rather than digital pastimes. It's a free third space to meet strangers. It's welcoming, 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 “ostentatious intellectual”, an attempt to feign intellectualism while signaling the veneer of “coolness”. Whether the chess craze has fostered a genuine passion in the sport is not a notion she is quite sure about. “It's a positive trend, but it’s very much a fad,” she said. “Once you compete with opponents who are truly dedicated about it, it quickly becomes less enjoyable.”

Competitive Gaming and Togetherness

It may all be a bit of lighthearted activity for those aiming to use a chessboard as a social vehicle, but serious participants certainly have their place, albeit off the main party area.

Lucia Ene-Lesikar, 22, who assists in organise Knight Club,explains that increasingly competitive attenders have formed a competitive ranking. “Participants who are in the league will play one another, we'll go to early rounds, advanced stages, and then we'll eventually have a league winner.”

Ryames Chan, in his twenties, is a competitive player and chess teacher. He joined the competition for about a year and plays at the club almost weekly. “This offers a nice alternative to playing serious chess; it gives a feeling of belonging,” he expressed.

“It's interesting to observe how it evolves into more of a social pastime, because previously the only individuals who engaged in chess were people who rarely socialize; they just remained home. It's usually just two people competing on a game board …

“The thing I like about here is that you're not really facing the digital opponent, you are facing live opponents.”