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One of the most energetic spots on a weekday night in east London's famous street isn't a dining spot or a urban fashion brand temporary shop, it's a chess club – or rather a chess and nightlife hybrid, to be exact.

This unique venue represents the unlikely fusion between chess and the city's dynamic evening entertainment culture. It was started by a young entrepreneur, 27, who launched his initial chess club in the summer of 2023 at a more intimate bar in Aldgate, a short distance from the current location at Café 1001 on the iconic lane.

“I wanted to make chess clubs for individuals who share my background and those my age,” he explained. “Typically, chess is only put in spaces that are full of senior individuals, which is not diverse sufficiently.”

On the first night, there were only 8 boards between sixteen people. Now, a “successful evening” at the weekly club event will draw about two hundred eighty people.

At first glance, the venue seems closer to a music night than a chess club. Mixed drinks are flowing and music is playing, but the chessboards on each table are not just decorative or there as a gimmick: they are all occupied and surrounded by a queue of spectators eagerly anticipating for their turn.

One regular, in her mid-twenties, has frequented Knight Club regularly for the last four months. “I had no knowledge of chess before I came here, and the first time I tried it, I competed in a game with a expert player. That was a swift win, but it made me intrigued to study and keep playing chess,” she noted.

“The event is about 50% social and half participants actually wanting to play chess … It's a pleasant way to unwind, which doesn't involve visiting a typical nightspot to meet others my age.”

An Activity Revitalized: Chess in the Modern Era

Lately, chess has been cemented in the societal spirit of the times. The popularity of digital chess proliferated throughout the global health crisis, making it one of the most rapidly expanding online games globally. In popular culture, the streaming series The Queen’s Gambit, along with Sally Rooney’s latest novel a literary work, have created a certain imagery associated with the game, which has drawn in a fresh generation of players.

But a great deal of this recent appeal of the chess night is not necessarily about the intricacies of the game; instead, it is the simplicity of connecting with others that it enables, by pulling up a seat and playing with a person who could be a total stranger.

“It is a brilliant clever disguise,” remarked 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 four years ago. His aim is to “remove chess off a pedestal and transform it into like billiards in a dive bar”.

“It's a really simple tool to get to know people. It kind of takes the weight of the necessity of conversation from socializing with people. You can do the uncomfortable bit of making an introduction and talking to a new acquaintance over a board instead of with no context around it.”

Growing the Community: Social Gatherings Beyond the Capital

Elsewhere in the UK, Chesscafé is a regular chess event taking place at a city cafe, near the downtown area. “We found that people are looking for spaces where one can socialize, interact and enjoy a good time outside of visiting a pub or nightclub,” said its creator and coordinator, a young leader, in his early twenties.

Alongside his associate Abdirahim Haji, also young, Singh bought chessboards, created flyers and began the chess club in January, during his final year of university. In less than a year, Singh reported Chesscafé has expanded to attract more than one hundred youthful participants to its gatherings.

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

Learning and Engaging: An Alternative Cohort of Chess Enthusiasts

Among numerous attendees, chess clubs are an entry point to the game. Zoë Kezia, in her late twenties, is learning how to participate in chess with fellow visitors of the weekly event at Reference Point. Her interest in the game was sparked after an enjoyable night moving to music and engaging in chess at a previous Knight Club's events.

“It's a strange idea, but it functions well,” she commented. “It encourages in-person exchanges rather than digital pastimes. It's a no-cost third space to meet strangers. It is welcoming, one doesn't need to necessarily be skilled at chess.”

Kezia jokingly compared the trendiness of chess among the youth to the superficial image of the “performative male”, an effort to feign intellectualism while signaling the veneer of “hipness”. Whether the chess craze has fostered a authentic interest in the game isn't a notion she's quite sure about. “It is a wholesome trend, but it’s very much a trend,” she said. “Once you're playing against people who are truly dedicated about it, it quickly becomes less fun.”

Competitive Play and Togetherness

It might seem like a some lighthearted activity for those aiming to use a chessboard as a social vehicle, but serious participants certainly have their role, albeit away from the main party area.

Another organizer, 22, who assists in running the club,says that more competitive players have formed a league table. “Participants who are part of the competition will face each other, we will go to quarter-finals, semi-finals, and then we'll eventually have a champion.”

A dedicated player, in his twenties, is a competitive competitor and chess teacher. He joined in the league for about a twelve months and participates at the club nearly every week. “This is a nice option to playing intense chess; it gives a sense of community,” he said.

“It is fascinating to observe how it evolves into more of a social activity, because previously the sole people who engaged in chess were those who rarely socialize; they simply remained home. It's usually just a pair competing on a chessboard …

“What appeals to me about this place is that one isn't really playing against the digital opponent, you are facing live opponents.”