Drinks & Chess Victories: These Youthful British People Giving Chess a New Lease of Vitality

One of the liveliest locations on a weekday night in the East End's famous street couldn't be a restaurant or a streetwear label pop-up, it is a chess club – or a chess club-nightclub fusion, to be exact.

Knight Club embodies the surprising blend between chess and the city's dynamic evening entertainment scene. It was started by Yusuf Ntahilaja, 27, who began his first chess club in August 2023 at a more intimate bar in a nearby area, a short distance from the present location at a popular cafe on the iconic lane.

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

On the first night, there were only eight boards shared by 16 people. Now, a “good night” at the regular Knight Club will draw about two hundred eighty people.

Upon arrival, Knight Club seems more like a music night than a traditional chess meeting. Cocktails are flowing and music is playing, but the game boards on every table aren't just decorative or there as a gimmick: they are all in use and surrounded by a line of onlookers eagerly anticipating for their chance to play.

One regular, in her mid-twenties, has frequented Knight Club regularly for the past several months. “I possessed little understanding of chess prior to I came here, and the initial occasion I ever played, I played a game with a expert player. That was a swift victory, but it left me fascinated to learn and continue enjoying chess,” she noted.

“The event is about half social and 50% people actually wishing to engage in chess … It's a pleasant way to relax, which avoids going to a typical nightspot to see other people my age.”

An Activity Reborn: Chess in the Modern Age

Lately, chess has been firmly established in the societal spirit of the times. The popularity of digital chess expanded rapidly during the global health crisis, making it one of the fastest-growing internet games globally. In popular culture, the Netflix series a hit show, as well as the author's latest novel a literary work, have created a certain iconography surrounding the sport, which has drawn in a fresh wave of players.

However much of this recent attraction of the chess club isn't necessarily about the technicalities of the game; instead, it is the ease of social interaction that it facilitates, by pulling up a chair and playing with someone who may be a complete unknown individual.

“It's a great Trojan horse,” said one organizer, co-founder of Reference Point in London, a bookstore, reading room, coffee house and lounge, which has hosted a well-attended chess club every Wednesday since it opened several years back. Freud’s aim is to “take chess from its elite status and make it feel like pool in a dive bar”.

“It's a really easy vehicle to meet people. It kind of takes the weight of the need of conversation away from socializing with people. One can do the awkward bit of making an introduction and chatting to a new acquaintance across a board rather than with no context involved.”

Expanding the Community: Social Gatherings Beyond London

Elsewhere in the UK, Chesscafé is a regular chess event taking place at York’s Cafe, just outside the city centre. “Our observation was that individuals are seeking spaces where you can socialize, interact and have a good time outside of going to a pub or club,” stated its founder and coordinator, Karan Singh, 21.

Alongside his associate Abdirahim Haji, also young, he purchased game sets, printed promotional materials and began the chess club in the start of the year, during his final year of university. In less than a year, Singh reported Chesscafé has grown to attract over 100 youthful participants to its gatherings.

“Such a venue has a particular reputation associated with it, about it being quiet. Our approach is to move in the contrary direction; it is a convivial get-together with chess involved,” he emphasized.

Discovering and Playing: An Alternative Cohort of Chess Enthusiasts

Among numerous attendees, chess clubs are an introduction to the activity. One participant, in her late twenties, is learning how to play chess with other visitors of chess night at Reference Point. Her interest in the game was piqued after an pleasurable evening dancing and engaging in chess at one of the club's events.

“It's a strange concept, but it works,” she said. “It promotes in-person interactions rather than digital activities. It's a no-cost neutral ground to meet new people. It's welcoming, you don't have to necessarily be skilled at chess.”

She jokingly likened the trendiness of chess with young people to the facade of the “performative male”, an effort to feign intellectualism while projecting the veneer of “hipness”. If the chess trend has cultivated a genuine passion in the game is not something she's quite convinced by. “It is a positive trend, but it’s largely a fad,” she said. “When you compete against opponents who are truly serious about it, it quickly becomes less fun.”

Competitive Gaming and Togetherness

It may all be a some fun and games for those aiming to use a game set as a networking tool, but competitive players certainly have their place, even if away from the dancefloor.

Lucia Ene-Lesikar, in her early twenties, who helps organise the club,explains that more competitive players have established a league table. “Participants who are in the league will play one another, we will go to quarter-finals, advanced stages, and then we'll eventually have a champion.”

Ryames Chan, 23, is a serious competitor and chess teacher. He has been in the league 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 community,” he expressed.

“It is interesting to observe how it evolves into increasingly a social pastime, because in the past the sole people who engaged in chess were those who rarely socialize; they just remained home. It's typically only two people playing on a chessboard …

“The thing appeals to me about this place is that you're not actually playing against the digital opponent, you're engaging with live opponents.”