Drinks and Checkmates: These Youthful British People Providing The Game a New Lease of Vitality

Among the most energetic locations on a weekday evening in the East End's famous street isn't a restaurant or a streetwear label temporary shop, it is a chess gathering – or a chess and nightlife hybrid, to be exact.

Knight Club embodies the unlikely crossover between chess and London's fervent nightlife scene. It was started by Yusuf Ntahilaja, 27, who began his first chess club in the summer of 2023 at a more intimate bar in Aldgate, not too far from the current location at Café 1001 on Brick Lane.

“I wanted to create chess clubs for people who share my background and people my generation,” he said. “Typically, chess is only put in environments that are full of older people, which isn't diverse enough.”

Initially, there were only 8 boards between sixteen people. Now, a “successful evening” at the weekly club event will draw about 280 people.

Upon arrival, Knight Club seems closer to a music night than a traditional chess meeting. Cocktails are being served and tunes is playing, but the chessboards on each table are not just ornamental or there as a novelty: they are all occupied and surrounded by a line of spectators eagerly anticipating for their turn.

One regular, 24, has frequented the club regularly for the last four months. “I possessed little understanding of chess before I came here, and the initial occasion I ever played, I played a game with a grandmaster. That was a quick win, but it left me intrigued to learn and keep playing chess,” she noted.

“The event is about 50% networking and 50% participants actually wanting to engage in chess … It is a pleasant way to decompress, which avoids visiting a club to see other people my generation.”

A Game Reborn: Chess in the Modern Age

In recent years, chess has been cemented in the societal spirit of the times. The popularity of digital chess proliferated throughout the pandemic, establishing it as one of the most rapidly expanding internet pastimes globally. Across media, the streaming series The Queen’s Gambit, along with the author's latest novel a literary work, have crafted a certain iconography associated with the sport, which has drawn in a new wave of players.

However much of this newfound attraction of the chess club isn't necessarily about the intricacies of the play; rather, it is the simplicity of connecting with others that it enables, by taking a chair and engaging with a person who may be a complete stranger.

“It is a great clever disguise,” said Jonah Freud, founder of Reference Point in the city, a bookstore, reading room, cafe and lounge, which has organized a popular chess club every Wednesday since it opened four years ago. Freud’s aim is to “remove chess from its elite status and make it feel similar to billiards in a dive bar”.

“It's a very simple vehicle to get to know people. It somewhat takes the pressure of the necessity of conversation away from interacting with people. One can do the awkward part of introducing yourself and talking to someone over a game rather than with no kind of shared activity involved.”

Expanding the Community: Social Gatherings Beyond the Capital

In Birmingham, a similar initiative is a recurring chess night taking place at a city cafe, near the city centre. “Our observation was that individuals are looking for spaces where one can socialize, interact and have a fun evening outside of visiting a bar or club,” said its creator and organiser, Karan Singh, in his early twenties.

Together with his associate Abdirahim Haji, also young, Singh purchased chessboards, printed promotional materials and started the chess club in the start of the year, while in his final year of college. In less than a year, Singh reported their event has expanded to draw over 100 youthful players to its gatherings.

“A chess club has a particular reputation associated with it, about it being quiet. Our approach is to go the opposite direction; it is a convivial party with chess as part of it,” he said.

Learning and Playing: An Alternative Generation of Chess Enthusiasts

For many, chess clubs are an introduction to the activity. One participant, 27, is learning how to participate in chess with fellow attenders of the weekly event at the venue. She became curious in the pastime was piqued 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 said. “It promotes face-to-face interactions rather than screen-based pastimes. It's a no-cost neutral ground to meet new people. It's welcoming, one doesn't need to necessarily be skilled at chess.”

Kezia jokingly compared the popularity of chess with the youth to the facade of the “performative male”, an effort to feign braininess while projecting the veneer of “hipness”. If the chess craze has cultivated a genuine passion in the sport is not something she's entirely convinced by. “It is a wholesome phenomenon, but it’s very much a fad,” she observed. “Once you compete with people who are truly serious about it, it quickly turns less enjoyable.”

Competitive Play and Community

It might seem like a some lighthearted activity for those aiming to use a chessboard as a social vehicle, but serious players do have their role, even if off the main party area.

Another organizer, 22, who assists in running Knight Club,says that increasingly skilled players have established a competitive ranking. “Participants who are in the league will play one another, we'll progress to quarter-finals, semi-finals, and then we'll eventually have a champion.”

A dedicated player, in his twenties, is a serious player and chess teacher. He joined the competition for about a year and plays at the club almost weekly. “This offers a nice alternative to engaging in serious chess; it provides a sense of community,” he expressed.

“It's interesting to observe how it evolves into increasingly a social activity, because previously the sole individuals who engaged in chess were those who rarely go outside; they just remained home. It's usually just two people playing on a chessboard …

“What appeals to me about here is that you're not actually playing against the digital opponent, you're facing real people.”