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One of the most energetic venues on a Tuesday evening in the East End's famous street isn't a dining spot or a urban fashion label pop-up, it's a chess gathering – or a chess club-nightclub fusion, to be exact.

This unique venue embodies the surprising crossover between the classic game and the city's dynamic evening entertainment culture. It was founded by Yusuf Ntahilaja, 27, who launched his first chess club in August 2023 at a more intimate bar in Aldgate, not too far from the current location at Café 1001 on the iconic lane.

“I wanted to make chess clubs for people who share my background and people my age,” he explained. “Typically, chess is only placed in spaces that are dominated by senior individuals, which isn't diverse sufficiently.”

On the first night, there were only 8 boards shared by sixteen people. Today, a “successful evening” at the weekly Knight Club will attract approximately 280 attendees.

Upon arrival, the venue feels more like a music night than a traditional chess meeting. Cocktails are being served and tunes is playing, but the chessboards on every table are not just decorative or there as a gimmick: they are all occupied and surrounded by a line of onlookers eagerly anticipating for their turn.

Jimmy Ifenayi, in her mid-twenties, has frequented the club often for the past several months. “I had little understanding of chess before my first visit, and the initial occasion I tried it, I played a game with a expert player. It was a swift win, but it left me fascinated to study and continue enjoying chess,” she noted.

“This gathering is about half social and half participants genuinely wanting to engage in chess … It's a nice way to unwind, which avoids going to a typical nightspot to meet other people my generation.”

An Activity Reborn: The Ancient Game in the Contemporary Era

Lately, chess has been cemented in the societal zeitgeist. The popularity of digital chess expanded rapidly throughout the global health crisis, making it one of the fastest-growing online pastimes in the world. In popular culture, the streaming series a hit show, as well as the author's recent novel a literary work, have crafted a distinct imagery surrounding the sport, which has attracted a fresh wave of players.

However much of this newfound attraction of the chess club is not necessarily about the intricacies of the play; instead, it is the simplicity of social interaction that it facilitates, by pulling up a chair and engaging with a person who could be a total unknown individual.

“It's a brilliant clever disguise,” said one organizer, co-founder of Reference Point in the city, a bookstore, library, cafe and bar, which has organized a popular chess club every Wednesday since it began four years ago. His objective is to “remove chess off a pedestal and make it feel like billiards in a casual pub”.

“It is a really easy vehicle to get to know people. It somewhat takes the pressure of the need of small talk from socializing with people. You can handle the awkward part of making an introduction and chatting to someone over a board instead of with no kind of context involved.”

Expanding the Community: Social Gatherings Outside the Capital

In Birmingham, Chesscafé is a regular chess night taking place at York’s Cafe, near the downtown area. “Our observation was that individuals are seeking places where you can socialize, interact and enjoy a good time outside of visiting a pub or club,” said its creator and organiser, Karan Singh, 21.

Together with his friend Abdirahim Haji, also young, he purchased chessboards, created flyers and started the chess club in the start of the year, during his final year of university. Within months, Singh said Chesscafé has expanded to draw over one hundred youthful players to its gatherings.

“Such a venue has a particular reputation to it, about it seeming reserved. We really try to go the opposite way; it's a convivial get-together with chess as part of it,” he said.

Discovering and Engaging: A New Cohort of Chess Enthusiasts

For many, chess clubs are an introduction to the game. One participant, 27, is learning how to play chess with other visitors of the weekly event at Reference Point. She became curious in the pastime was sparked after an pleasurable night dancing and playing chess at one of the club's occasions.

“It's a strange concept, but it functions well,” she commented. “It encourages face-to-face exchanges instead of screen-based activities. It's a no-cost neutral ground to meet strangers. It is welcoming, you don't have to necessarily be skilled at chess.”

Kezia jokingly likened the popularity of chess with young people to the facade of the “ostentatious intellectual”, an attempt to feign braininess while projecting the veneer of “hipness”. Whether the chess craze has cultivated a genuine interest in the game is not a notion she's entirely sure about. “It is a positive phenomenon, but it’s largely a fad,” she observed. “When you compete with opponents who are truly dedicated about it, it rapidly becomes less fun.”

Competitive Gaming and Togetherness

It might all be a bit of fun and games for those aiming to employ a game set as a social vehicle, but serious players certainly have their role, even if off the dancefloor.

Another organizer, in her early twenties, who assists in running Knight Club,explains that more skilled attenders have formed a competitive ranking. “Participants who are part of the competition will face one another, we will go to early rounds, semi-finals, and then we will finally have a league winner.”

A dedicated player, 23, is a serious competitor and chess instructor. He joined the competition for about a year and plays at the club almost weekly. “This is a nice alternative to playing serious chess; it provides a feeling of belonging,” he said.

“It's fascinating to see how it evolves into more of a social pastime, because in the past the sole individuals who played chess were those who didn't go outside; they simply remained home. It is usually just two people competing on a game board …

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