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One of the most energetic venues on a weekday evening in east London's famous street couldn't be a dining spot or a urban fashion brand pop-up, it is a chess gathering – or rather a chess and nightlife fusion, to be exact.

Knight Club represents the unlikely crossover between the classic game and London's fervent nightlife scene. It was started by Yusuf Ntahilaja, 27, who began his first chess club in the summer of 2023 at a more intimate bar in a nearby area, not too far from the current location at a popular cafe on the iconic lane.

“My goal was to make chess clubs for people who look like me and people my age,” he explained. “Usually, chess is only placed in spaces that are full of senior individuals, which is not diverse sufficiently.”

On the first night, there were just eight boards between 16 people. Today, a “good night” at the regular Knight Club will draw about 280 attendees.

At first glance, the venue feels more like a DJ event than a chess club. Mixed drinks are flowing and music is in the air, but the chessboards on each table are not just decorative or there as a novelty: they are all occupied and encircled by a line of spectators eagerly anticipating for their chance to play.

One regular, 24, has frequented the club regularly for the past several months. “I possessed no knowledge of chess before I came here, and the initial occasion I tried it, I played a game with a grandmaster. It was a quick victory, but it left me intrigued to study and keep playing chess,” she said.

“The event is about half networking and 50% people actually wanting to engage in chess … It is a nice way to decompress, which doesn't involve going to a club to see other people my age.”

An Activity Reborn: The Ancient Game in the Contemporary Era

In recent years, chess has been cemented in the cultural spirit of the times. The popularity of online chess proliferated throughout the global health crisis, establishing it as one of the fastest-growing internet games globally. In popular culture, the streaming series The Queen’s Gambit, as well as Sally Rooney’s latest novel a literary work, have crafted a distinct imagery surrounding the game, which has drawn in a new wave of players.

However much of this newfound appeal of the chess night is not always about the intricacies of the play; instead, it is the simplicity of social interaction that it enables, by pulling up a chair and engaging with a person who may be a complete stranger.

“It is a great Trojan horse,” said Jonah Freud, founder of Reference Point in London, a bookshop, reading room, coffee house and bar, which has hosted a popular chess club every Wednesday since it began several years back. Freud’s aim is to “take chess from its elite status and transform it into like pool in a casual pub”.

“It's a very simple tool to meet people. It somewhat takes the pressure of the necessity of conversation away from interacting with people. One can do the uncomfortable bit of introducing yourself and chatting to someone over a board rather than with no context around it.”

Expanding the Network: Chess Nights Beyond London

Elsewhere in the UK, a similar initiative is a regular chess night held at York’s Cafe, near the city centre. “We found that individuals are looking for places where one can go out, socialise and enjoy a fun evening outside of going to a pub or nightclub,” said its creator and coordinator, a young leader, 21.

Together with his associate a partner, 21, he bought chessboards, created promotional materials and started the chess club in the start of the year, during his last year of college. Within months, Singh said their event has grown to attract more than one hundred young participants to its events.

“Such a venue has a particular reputation to it, about it being reserved. Our approach is to move in the opposite direction; it is a convivial party with chess involved,” he emphasized.

Discovering and Engaging: A New Generation of Chess Enthusiasts

Among numerous attendees, chess clubs are an introduction to the activity. One participant, in her late twenties, is picking up how to play chess with other attenders of chess night at the venue. Her interest in the pastime was sparked after an enjoyable evening dancing and engaging in chess at one of Knight Club's occasions.

“It is a strange concept, but it functions well,” she said. “It encourages face-to-face interactions rather than screen-based activities. It's a free third space to meet new people. It's welcoming, one doesn't need to necessarily be good at chess.”

Kezia humorously likened the popularity of chess among the youth to the facade of the “performative male”, an effort to simulate intellectualism while projecting the appearance of “hipness”. If the chess trend has fostered a authentic passion in the game is not something she's quite convinced by. “It is a positive trend, but it’s very much a trend,” she observed. “When you compete with opponents who are really dedicated about it, it rapidly turns less fun.”

Serious Play and Community

It may seem like a some lighthearted activity for those aiming to employ a chessboard as a social vehicle, but serious players certainly have their role, even if off the dancefloor.

Lucia Ene-Lesikar, in her early twenties, who helps organise the club,says that increasingly competitive players have formed a competitive ranking. “Participants who are part of the competition will play one another, we will go to early rounds, semi-finals, and then we'll eventually have a league winner.”

Ryames Chan, in his twenties, is a serious player and chess instructor. He joined the competition for about a year and participates at the club almost every week. “This is a welcome option to engaging in intense chess; it gives a sense of community,” he said.

“It is interesting to see how it becomes increasingly a social activity, because previously the sole people who played chess were people who didn't go outside; they just stayed home. It's usually just a pair playing on a game board …

“What appeals to me about here is that you're not actually facing the digital opponent, you are facing live opponents.”