🔗 Share this article

One of the most energetic spots on a weekday night in the East End's Brick Lane couldn't be a dining spot or a urban fashion brand temporary shop, it is a chess club – or a chess and nightlife fusion, to be exact.

This unique venue embodies the unlikely fusion between chess and London's fervent evening entertainment culture. It was founded by a young entrepreneur, 27, who launched his first chess club in August 2023 at a more intimate bar in a nearby area, not too far from the present location at Café 1001 on Brick Lane.

“My goal was to create chess clubs for people who look like me and those my age,” he explained. “Typically, chess is only placed in spaces that are dominated by senior individuals, which is not diverse enough.”

Initially, there were only eight boards shared by sixteen people. Now, a “good night” at the regular club event will attract approximately 280 attendees.

At first glance, the venue feels more like a DJ event than a traditional chess meeting. Cocktails are flowing and music is playing, but the game boards on every table are not just decorative or there as a gimmick: they are all occupied and encircled by a line of spectators eagerly anticipating for their chance to play.

Jimmy Ifenayi, 24, has been attending the club regularly for the last four months. “I had no knowledge of chess before my first visit, 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.

“This gathering is about 50% social and half participants actually wanting to play chess … It is a pleasant way to unwind, which avoids going to a club to see others my age.”

A Game Reborn: The Ancient Game in the Contemporary Era

Lately, chess has been firmly established in the cultural spirit of the times. Its appeal of digital chess expanded rapidly during the pandemic, making it one of the fastest-growing online games in the world. In popular culture, the streaming series a hit show, as well as Sally Rooney’s latest novel a literary work, have crafted a distinct imagery associated with the game, which has drawn in a new generation of enthusiasts.

However a great deal of this newfound appeal of the chess night is not necessarily about the intricacies of the play; rather, it is the simplicity of connecting with others that it enables, by pulling up a seat and playing with someone who may be a total stranger.

“It is a brilliant clever disguise,” said Jonah Freud, co-founder of a local venue in the city, a bookshop, reading room, cafe and bar, which has hosted a popular chess club weekly since it began four years ago. Freud’s aim is to “remove chess off a pedestal and transform it into like pool in a dive bar”.

“It's a very easy tool to get to know people. It kind of takes the weight of the necessity of small talk from socializing with people. One can handle the uncomfortable part of introducing yourself and talking to someone over a game rather than with no kind of shared activity involved.”

Expanding the Community: Chess Nights Outside 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 seeking spaces where one can go out, interact and enjoy a fun evening outside of going to a bar or club,” stated its creator and organiser, Karan Singh, in his early twenties.

Alongside his associate a partner, 21, he bought game sets, printed promotional materials and started the chess club in the start of the year, during his final year of college. In less than a year, Singh said their event has expanded to attract over 100 youthful participants to its events.

“A chess club has a particular connotation associated with it, about it being reserved. Our approach is to go the contrary direction; it's a social get-together with chess as part of it,” he emphasized.

Learning and Playing: An Alternative Cohort of Chess Enthusiasts

For many, chess clubs are an entry point to the activity. One participant, in her late twenties, is picking up how to play chess with other attenders of the weekly event at the venue. Her interest in the pastime was piqued after an enjoyable evening dancing and playing chess at one of Knight Club's events.

“It is a strange idea, but it works,” she commented. “It promotes in-person exchanges instead of screen-based pastimes. It's a free neutral ground to meet new people. It's welcoming, one doesn't need to necessarily be good at chess.”

Kezia jokingly likened the popularity of chess with the youth to the facade of the “performative male”, an effort to feign braininess while signaling the veneer of “coolness”. If the chess trend has cultivated a authentic passion in the sport isn't something she's entirely sure about. “It is a positive phenomenon, but it’s very much a trend,” she said. “When you compete against people who are really serious about it, it rapidly becomes less enjoyable.”

Competitive Gaming and Community

It may seem like a bit of lighthearted activity for individuals looking to employ a game set as a networking tool, but competitive participants certainly have their place, even if away from the main party area.

Lucia Ene-Lesikar, 22, who assists in organise Knight Club,says that more skilled players have established a competitive ranking. “Participants who are in the league will play one another, we'll go to quarter-finals, semi-finals, and then we'll finally have a champion.”

Ryames Chan, in his twenties, is a competitive competitor and chess instructor. He has been in the league for about a twelve months and plays at the club nearly weekly. “This offers a welcome alternative to engaging in intense chess; it gives a feeling of belonging,” he said.

“It is fascinating to observe how it evolves into more of a social activity, because in the past the only people who played chess were people who rarely socialize; they simply remained home. It is typically just a pair playing on a chessboard …

“What appeals to me about this place is that one isn't actually facing the computer, you're engaging with live opponents.”