Drinks and Chess Victories: These Youthful British People Providing The Game a Fresh Breath of Vitality

Among the most energetic locations on a weekday evening in east London's famous street couldn't be a restaurant or a urban fashion label pop-up, it's a chess club – or rather a chess club-nightclub combination, to be exact.

This unique venue embodies the surprising crossover between chess and the city's fervent evening entertainment scene. It was founded by a young entrepreneur, in his late twenties, who launched his initial chess club in the summer of 2023 at a more intimate bar in a nearby area, a short distance from the current location at a popular cafe on Brick Lane.

“My goal was to create chess clubs for individuals who share my background and those my generation,” he explained. “Usually, chess is only placed in environments that are dominated by older people, which is not diverse sufficiently.”

On the first night, there were just eight boards between 16 people. Now, a “successful evening” at the weekly club event will attract about 280 attendees.

At first glance, Knight Club feels more like a DJ event than a chess club. Cocktails are being served and tunes is playing, but the game boards on each table are not just ornamental or there as a gimmick: they are all occupied and surrounded by a queue of onlookers eagerly anticipating for their chance to play.

Jimmy Ifenayi, 24, has frequented Knight Club often for the past four months. “I possessed no knowledge of chess before I came here, and the initial occasion I ever played, I played a game against a expert player. It was a quick win, but it left me intrigued to learn and continue enjoying chess,” she noted.

“This gathering is about half networking and 50% participants genuinely wishing to engage in chess … It is a nice way to relax, which doesn't involve going to a club to meet others my generation.”

A Game Revitalized: The Ancient Game in the Contemporary Era

In recent years, chess has been cemented in the societal zeitgeist. Its appeal of online chess proliferated throughout the pandemic, establishing it as one of the most rapidly expanding online games globally. Across media, the streaming series a hit show, along with Sally Rooney’s recent novel a literary work, have crafted a distinct iconography surrounding the sport, which has attracted a fresh wave of enthusiasts.

However much of this recent attraction of the chess club is not necessarily about the intricacies of the game; instead, it is the simplicity of connecting with others that it facilitates, by taking a chair and engaging with a person who could be a total unknown individual.

“It is a brilliant Trojan horse,” said Jonah Freud, co-founder of a local venue in London, a bookshop, library, coffee house and lounge, which has hosted a popular chess club every Wednesday since it opened several years back. His aim is to “take chess off a pedestal and make it feel similar to billiards in a dive bar”.

“It's a really simple vehicle to meet people. It kind of takes the pressure of the need of conversation away from socializing with people. You can handle the awkward bit of introducing yourself and chatting to someone over a game rather than with no shared activity involved.”

Expanding the Community: Social Gatherings Outside London

In Birmingham, a similar initiative is a recurring chess night held at York’s Cafe, just outside the city centre. “We found that people are seeking places where one can socialize, socialise and enjoy a fun evening beyond visiting a bar or nightclub,” stated its creator and organiser, a young leader, 21.

Together with his associate Abdirahim Haji, also young, he bought chessboards, created promotional materials and started the chess club in January, during his last year of college. Within months, Singh said their event has expanded to draw more than 100 youthful players to its events.

“A chess club has a specific reputation associated with it, about it being quiet. Our approach is to move in the opposite direction; it's a social party with chess as part of it,” he said.

Learning and Engaging: An Alternative Cohort of Chess Enthusiasts

Among numerous attendees, chess clubs are an entry point to the game. One participant, 27, is picking up how to play chess with other attenders of the weekly event at Reference Point. Her interest in the pastime was sparked after an pleasurable night dancing and engaging in chess at one of the club's events.

“It is a strange concept, but it functions well,” she said. “It promotes in-person exchanges rather than digital pastimes. It is a no-cost third space to meet new people. It is welcoming, you don't have to necessarily be skilled at chess.”

She humorously compared the popularity of chess with the youth to the superficial image of the “performative male”, an attempt to feign braininess while projecting the appearance of “hipness”. If the chess trend has fostered a genuine passion in the sport isn't something she's quite convinced by. “It's a wholesome trend, but it’s very much a fad,” she observed. “Once you're playing against opponents who are really dedicated about it, it quickly turns less fun.”

Competitive Play and Community

It may seem like a bit of fun and games for individuals looking to employ a chessboard as a social vehicle, but competitive participants certainly have their place, even if off the dancefloor.

Lucia Ene-Lesikar, in her early twenties, who helps organise Knight Club,explains that more competitive players have established a competitive ranking. “Participants who are part of the competition will play each other, we will go to quarter-finals, advanced stages, and then we'll eventually have a champion.”

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

“It's interesting to see how it evolves into increasingly a social activity, because previously the sole people who engaged in chess were people who didn't socialize; they just remained home. It's usually just a pair competing on a game board …

“The thing appeals to me about here is that one isn't actually playing against the computer, you're facing real people.”