🔗 Share this article

Among the most energetic venues on a weekday evening in east London's famous street isn't a restaurant or a urban fashion brand temporary shop, it is a chess gathering – or rather a chess club-nightclub hybrid, precisely speaking.

Knight Club represents the unlikely blend between chess and the city's fervent evening entertainment culture. It was started by a young entrepreneur, 27, who began his initial chess club in the summer of 2023 at a smaller bar in a nearby area, not too far from the present location at a popular cafe on the iconic lane.

“I wanted to create chess clubs for individuals who look like me and those my age,” he explained. “Typically, chess is only placed in spaces that are dominated by older people, which isn't inclusive enough.”

On the first night, there were just eight boards between sixteen people. Today, a “successful evening” at the regular club event will draw about 280 people.

Upon arrival, the venue feels closer to a music night than a chess club. Cocktails are being served and tunes is in the air, but the game boards on each table aren't just ornamental or there as a gimmick: they are all in use and encircled by a queue of onlookers waiting for their chance to play.

Jimmy Ifenayi, in her mid-twenties, has been attending the club regularly for the past several months. “I possessed no knowledge of chess prior to I came here, and the first time I ever played, I competed in a game with a expert player. It was a quick win, but it made me fascinated to study and continue enjoying chess,” she said.

“This gathering is about 50% social and 50% participants genuinely 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 Reborn: Chess in the Modern Era

Lately, chess has been firmly established in the cultural zeitgeist. The popularity of digital chess proliferated during the pandemic, establishing it as one of the fastest-growing internet pastimes globally. In popular culture, the Netflix series a hit show, along with the author's latest novel a literary work, have created a distinct iconography surrounding the sport, which has attracted a new generation of enthusiasts.

But much of this recent attraction of the chess club isn't always about the intricacies of the game; instead, it is the simplicity of connecting with others that it enables, by taking a chair and playing with someone who may be a total stranger.

“It's a great clever disguise,” remarked one organizer, co-founder of a local venue in the city, a bookstore, reading room, coffee house and bar, which has organized a well-attended chess club every Wednesday since it began four years ago. His objective is to “take chess from its elite status and transform it into like billiards in a dive bar”.

“It's a really simple tool to meet people. It somewhat removes the pressure of the necessity of conversation away from interacting with people. One can handle the awkward part of making an introduction and chatting to a new acquaintance over a game instead of with no context involved.”

Growing the Network: Chess Nights Beyond London

In Birmingham, Chesscafé is a recurring chess night held at a city cafe, near the city centre. “Our observation was that individuals are looking for spaces where you can socialize, socialise and enjoy a fun evening outside of going to a pub or nightclub,” said its founder and organiser, Karan Singh, 21.

Together with his associate a partner, 21, he bought chessboards, printed flyers and began the chess club in January, during his final year of university. Within months, he reported Chesscafé has grown to draw over 100 young players to its gatherings.

“A chess club has a particular connotation to it, about it being quiet. Our approach is to move in the contrary way; it is a convivial party with chess involved,” he emphasized.

Learning and Playing: An Alternative Generation of Chess Enthusiasts

For many, chess clubs are an introduction to the activity. Zoë Kezia, in her late twenties, is learning how to play chess with other attenders of chess night at Reference Point. She became curious in the pastime was piqued after an pleasurable night moving to music and playing chess at a previous Knight Club's events.

“It's a strange idea, but it functions well,” she commented. “It encourages face-to-face interactions instead of screen-based pastimes. It's a no-cost neutral ground to encounter new people. It's welcoming, one doesn't need to necessarily be skilled at chess.”

Kezia jokingly likened the popularity of chess among the youth to the facade of the “ostentatious intellectual”, an effort to simulate braininess while projecting the appearance of “coolness”. Whether the chess trend has cultivated a genuine interest in the sport is not a notion she is quite convinced by. “It is a wholesome phenomenon, but it’s largely a fad,” she said. “Once you're playing with people who are truly dedicated about it, it quickly turns less enjoyable.”

Competitive Play and Togetherness

It might all be a some lighthearted activity for individuals looking to employ a game set as a social vehicle, but serious players certainly have their place, albeit away from the main party area.

Another organizer, in her early twenties, who assists in running Knight Club,explains that increasingly competitive attenders have formed a competitive ranking. “Participants who are in the league will face each other, we'll go to early rounds, semi-finals, and then we will finally have a champion.”

Ryames Chan, 23, is a serious competitor and chess teacher. He joined the competition for about a twelve months and participates at the club almost weekly. “This is a welcome alternative to playing intense chess; it gives a sense of community,” he said.

“It is fascinating to see how it becomes increasingly a communal pastime, because previously the sole people who played chess were people who didn't socialize; they just remained home. It's typically just two people competing on a chessboard …

“The thing appeals to me about here is that you're not actually facing the computer, you are facing live opponents.”