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Among the most energetic venues on a weekday evening in the East End's famous street isn't a restaurant or a urban fashion label pop-up, it is a chess gathering – or rather a chess club-nightclub combination, to be exact.

This unique venue embodies the unlikely fusion between the classic game and London's dynamic evening entertainment scene. It was founded by a young entrepreneur, in his late twenties, who began his first chess club in August 2023 at a smaller bar in Aldgate, a short distance from the present location at Café 1001 on the iconic lane.

“My goal was to create chess clubs for people who share my background and people my age,” he explained. “Typically, chess is only placed in spaces that are full of senior individuals, which is not diverse enough.”

On the first night, there were only eight boards shared by sixteen people. Today, a “good night” at the weekly club event will draw approximately 280 attendees.

Upon arrival, the venue feels more like a music night than a traditional chess meeting. Cocktails are flowing and music is playing, but the chessboards on each table aren't just ornamental or there as a gimmick: they are all occupied and surrounded by a line of onlookers waiting for their chance to play.

Jimmy Ifenayi, in her mid-twenties, has been attending Knight Club regularly for the last several months. “I possessed little understanding of chess prior to I came here, and the first time I ever played, I played a game against a expert player. That was a swift victory, but it left me fascinated to learn and keep playing chess,” she said.

“The event is about half networking and half participants genuinely wanting to play chess … It's a nice way to unwind, which avoids going to a typical nightspot to meet other people my age.”

An Activity Revitalized: Chess in the Contemporary Era

Lately, chess has been firmly established in the societal spirit of the times. Its appeal of digital chess proliferated throughout the pandemic, establishing it as one of the fastest-growing online pastimes in the world. Across media, the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, as well as Sally Rooney’s latest novel a literary work, have crafted a distinct iconography surrounding the game, which has drawn in a new wave of players.

But a great deal of this newfound attraction of the chess club isn't necessarily about the intricacies of the play; rather, it is the ease of connecting with others that it facilitates, by pulling up a chair and engaging with a person who may be a total unknown individual.

“It's a brilliant clever disguise,” said one organizer, co-founder of a local venue in the city, a bookstore, library, cafe and bar, which has hosted a popular chess club weekly since it began several years back. Freud’s objective is to “remove chess off a pedestal and make it feel like pool in a casual pub”.

“It is a very easy vehicle to meet people. It kind of takes the weight of the necessity of conversation from interacting with people. You can do the uncomfortable bit of introducing yourself and chatting to a new acquaintance over a board instead of with no kind of shared activity involved.”

Expanding the Community: Social Gatherings Outside London

Elsewhere in the UK, a similar initiative is a recurring chess event held at a city cafe, just outside the downtown area. “We found that people are seeking spaces where one can go out, socialise and have a fun evening outside of visiting a bar or club,” stated its founder and organiser, a young leader, in his early twenties.

Alongside his associate Abdirahim Haji, 21, Singh bought game sets, printed promotional materials and started the chess club in January, while in his last year of college. In less than a year, Singh reported Chesscafé has expanded to draw more than one hundred youthful participants to its events.

“Such a venue has a specific connotation to it, about it being quiet. Our approach is to go the opposite way; it's a social get-together with chess involved,” he emphasized.

Learning and Engaging: A New Generation of Chess Enthusiasts

Among numerous attendees, chess clubs are an entry point to the activity. Zoë Kezia, 27, is learning how to play chess with fellow visitors of the weekly event at Reference Point. Her interest in the pastime was piqued after an enjoyable night dancing and engaging in chess at a previous the club's events.

“It's a strange concept, but it works,” she commented. “It encourages in-person interactions instead of screen-based pastimes. It is a free third space to meet new people. It's inviting, one doesn't need to necessarily be good at chess.”

She humorously compared the popularity of chess with young people to the facade of the “ostentatious intellectual”, an effort to feign braininess while projecting the appearance of “hipness”. If the chess trend has cultivated a genuine interest in the game isn't something she is quite convinced by. “It's a positive trend, but it’s largely a trend,” she said. “Once you compete against people who are truly serious about it, it quickly becomes less enjoyable.”

Competitive Play and Community

It may seem like a bit of lighthearted activity for individuals looking to employ a game set as a social vehicle, but competitive participants certainly have their role, albeit away from the main party area.

Another organizer, in her early twenties, who assists in organise Knight Club,says that increasingly competitive players have formed a competitive ranking. “Participants who are part of the competition will play one another, we will progress to quarter-finals, semi-finals, and then we will finally have a league winner.”

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

“It is fascinating to see how it evolves into more of a social activity, because in the past the only people who played chess were people who didn't go outside; they simply stayed home. It's usually only a pair playing on a game board …

“The thing I like about this place is that you're not actually facing the computer, you are engaging with live opponents.”