Cocktails and Chess Victories: The Young British People Giving Chess a New Lease of Life

Among the most vibrant venues on a Tuesday night in east London's Brick Lane couldn't be a dining spot or a urban fashion brand temporary shop, it's a chess club – or a chess club-nightclub combination, precisely speaking.

Knight Club embodies the surprising crossover between chess and London's dynamic evening entertainment scene. It was started by Yusuf Ntahilaja, 27, who launched his initial chess club in August 2023 at a more intimate bar in Aldgate, not too far from the current location at a popular cafe on the iconic lane.

“I wanted to make chess clubs for individuals who share my background and people my age,” he explained. “Typically, chess is only placed in environments that are dominated by older people, which isn't inclusive enough.”

Initially, there were only 8 boards shared by sixteen people. Now, a “successful evening” at the regular Knight Club will attract approximately 280 attendees.

Upon arrival, the venue feels closer to 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 occupied and surrounded by a queue of onlookers waiting for their turn.

Jimmy Ifenayi, 24, has been attending Knight Club regularly for the past four months. “I possessed little understanding of chess before my first visit, and the first time I tried it, I competed in a game against a expert player. That was a quick victory, but it made me intrigued to learn and keep playing chess,” she said.

“The event is about half networking and half people genuinely wanting to play chess … It's a nice way to unwind, which avoids visiting a club to meet others my generation.”

A Game Revitalized: The Ancient Game in the Contemporary Era

Lately, chess has been cemented in the cultural spirit of the times. The popularity of online chess proliferated throughout the global health crisis, establishing it as one of the most rapidly expanding online pastimes in the world. Across media, the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, along with the author's latest novel a literary work, have created a distinct imagery surrounding the sport, which has attracted a fresh wave of enthusiasts.

But a great deal of this newfound attraction of the chess night is not necessarily about the technicalities of the play; instead, it is the ease of social interaction that it enables, by taking a chair and playing with someone who may be a complete stranger.

“It's a great clever disguise,” said Jonah Freud, founder of Reference Point in the city, a bookshop, library, coffee house and lounge, which has organized a well-attended 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 like pool in a dive bar”.

“It's a very simple tool to get to know people. It somewhat removes the weight of the need of small talk away from interacting with people. You can do the uncomfortable bit of making an introduction and talking to someone across a board instead of with no context around it.”

Growing the Network: Chess Nights Outside London

In Birmingham, a similar initiative is a regular chess night taking place at York’s Cafe, just outside the downtown area. “Our observation was that individuals are seeking places where one can socialize, socialise and enjoy a fun evening outside of visiting a pub or nightclub,” said its founder and organiser, Karan Singh, in his early twenties.

Alongside his associate Abdirahim Haji, 21, Singh purchased game sets, created promotional materials and started the chess club in the start of the year, during his last year of college. In less than a year, he reported Chesscafé has grown to draw over 100 youthful participants to its events.

“Such a venue has a particular reputation associated with it, about it being quiet. We really try to go the contrary way; it's a convivial get-together 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 game. One participant, in her late twenties, is picking up how to participate in chess with fellow attenders of chess night at the venue. She became curious in the game was sparked after an pleasurable evening moving to music and engaging in chess at one of the club's events.

“It is a strange idea, but it functions well,” she said. “It promotes face-to-face interactions instead of digital pastimes. It is a no-cost third space to meet strangers. It's welcoming, one doesn't need to necessarily be good at chess.”

Kezia jokingly likened the trendiness of chess with the youth to the superficial image of the “ostentatious intellectual”, an effort to simulate braininess while projecting the veneer of “hipness”. Whether the chess craze has cultivated a genuine interest in the sport isn't a notion she's entirely sure about. “It is a positive trend, but it’s very much a fad,” she said. “When you compete with opponents who are really dedicated about it, it quickly becomes less enjoyable.”

Serious Play and Community

It might all be a some fun and games for individuals looking to use a game set as a social vehicle, but competitive players do have their role, even if off the main party area.

Another organizer, in her early twenties, who helps running the club,explains that increasingly skilled attenders have established a league table. “People who are part of the competition will face one another, we'll progress to early rounds, advanced stages, and then we'll finally have a champion.”

A dedicated player, 23, is a competitive competitor and chess instructor. He joined the competition for about a twelve months and participates at the club nearly every week. “This offers a nice option to playing serious chess; it gives a feeling of community,” he expressed.

“It is interesting to see how it becomes increasingly a communal activity, because in the past the sole people who engaged in chess were people who rarely go outside; they just stayed home. It is usually only a pair competing on a chessboard …

“The thing appeals to me about here is that you're not actually facing the digital opponent, you're engaging with real people.”