🔗 Share this article

One of the liveliest locations on a Tuesday night in the East End's Brick Lane isn't a dining spot or a urban fashion brand temporary shop, it's a chess gathering – or a chess club-nightclub fusion, to be exact.

This unique venue embodies the surprising blend between the classic game and the city's fervent nightlife culture. It was started by a young entrepreneur, 27, who began his first chess club in the summer of 2023 at a smaller bar in Aldgate, not too far from the present location at a popular cafe on Brick Lane.

“My goal was to create chess clubs for individuals who share my background and people my generation,” he explained. “Typically, chess is only put in environments that are full of senior individuals, which is not inclusive enough.”

On the first night, there were only 8 boards shared by sixteen people. Today, a “good night” at the regular club event will draw about 280 attendees.

At first glance, the venue feels more like a DJ event than a traditional chess meeting. Cocktails are being served and tunes is in the air, but the chessboards on each table aren't just ornamental or there as a gimmick: they are all occupied and encircled by a line of spectators eagerly anticipating for their turn.

One regular, in her mid-twenties, has been attending the club often for the last four months. “I possessed little understanding of chess prior to I came here, and the initial occasion I tried it, I played a game with a grandmaster. It was a swift victory, but it left me fascinated to learn and continue enjoying chess,” she said.

“This gathering is about half networking and half people genuinely wanting to play chess … It's a nice way to relax, which avoids visiting a club to meet other people my generation.”

An Activity Revitalized: Chess in the Contemporary Age

In recent years, chess has been cemented in the societal spirit of the times. The popularity of digital chess expanded rapidly throughout the pandemic, making it one of the most rapidly expanding online pastimes globally. In popular culture, the streaming series a hit show, along with the author's recent novel Intermezzo, have crafted a certain iconography surrounding the sport, which has attracted a fresh generation of enthusiasts.

However much of this newfound appeal of the chess club is not always about the technicalities of the game; rather, it is the ease of connecting with others that it enables, by taking a chair and playing with a person who could be a complete stranger.

“It's a great Trojan horse,” remarked Jonah Freud, co-founder of a local venue in London, a bookstore, library, cafe and lounge, which has hosted a well-attended chess club weekly since it began four years ago. His aim is to “remove chess off a pedestal and make it feel similar to pool in a casual pub”.

“It's a really simple vehicle to meet people. It somewhat removes the pressure of the need of conversation from socializing with people. One can handle the uncomfortable part of making an introduction and talking to someone over a board rather than with no kind of context involved.”

Growing the Community: Chess Nights Outside the Capital

In Birmingham, Chesscafé is a recurring chess night held at York’s Cafe, just outside the city centre. “Our observation was that individuals are looking for spaces where you can go out, socialise and have a good time outside of visiting a bar or nightclub,” said its creator and organiser, Karan Singh, 21.

Alongside his friend a partner, 21, Singh bought game sets, created promotional materials and started the chess club in January, during his last year of college. Within months, Singh reported their event has grown to draw more than one hundred young participants to its gatherings.

“Such a venue has a specific reputation associated with it, about it seeming reserved. We really try to move in the contrary way; it is a social get-together with chess as part of it,” he said.

Discovering and Playing: A New Cohort of Chess Enthusiasts

Among numerous attendees, chess clubs are an entry point to the activity. Zoë Kezia, 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 moving to music and playing chess at one of Knight Club's events.

“It is a strange idea, but it functions well,” she commented. “It promotes face-to-face interactions instead of digital pastimes. It's a free third space to meet strangers. It's inviting, one doesn't have to necessarily be good at chess.”

Kezia humorously compared the trendiness of chess among the youth to the facade of the “performative male”, an attempt to simulate intellectualism while signaling the appearance of “hipness”. Whether the chess craze has cultivated a genuine interest in the game is not something she is quite convinced by. “It is a positive phenomenon, but it’s largely a trend,” she said. “When you're playing against people who are truly dedicated about it, it rapidly becomes less enjoyable.”

Competitive Gaming and Togetherness

It may all be a some fun and games for individuals looking to use a game set as a networking tool, but serious players certainly have their place, albeit off the main party area.

Lucia Ene-Lesikar, 22, who helps organise Knight Club,explains that increasingly skilled attenders have established a competitive ranking. “People who are part of the competition will play each other, we'll progress to quarter-finals, advanced stages, and then we'll finally have a league winner.”

Ryames Chan, in his twenties, is a competitive player and chess instructor. He has been the competition for about a year and plays at the club nearly every week. “This is a nice alternative to playing intense chess; it provides a feeling of belonging,” he said.

“It is fascinating to see how it evolves into more of a social pastime, because previously the sole individuals who engaged in chess were people who didn't socialize; they just stayed home. It's usually only two people competing on a game board …

“What I like about this place is that you're not actually playing against the digital opponent, you're engaging with live opponents.”