Cocktails & Checkmates: These Youthful British People Providing Chess a Fresh Breath of Vitality

Among the liveliest venues on a Tuesday evening in the East End's Brick Lane couldn't be a dining spot or a streetwear brand pop-up, it is a chess club – or a chess club-nightclub fusion, precisely speaking.

This unique venue represents the surprising fusion between the classic game and the city's fervent evening entertainment culture. It was founded by Yusuf Ntahilaja, in his late twenties, who launched his first chess club in August 2023 at a smaller bar in a nearby area, not too far from the present location at a popular cafe on the iconic lane.

“I wanted to make chess clubs for people who share my background and people my generation,” he said. “Typically, chess is only put in spaces that are full of senior individuals, which isn't diverse sufficiently.”

Initially, there were only eight boards between 16 people. Now, a “successful evening” at the weekly club event will draw about two hundred eighty attendees.

At first glance, Knight Club seems closer to a DJ event than a chess club. Mixed drinks are being served and tunes is playing, but the chessboards on every table aren't just decorative or there as a gimmick: they are all in use and encircled by a line of spectators eagerly anticipating for their chance to play.

One regular, in her mid-twenties, has frequented Knight Club often for the last four months. “I possessed no knowledge of chess before I came here, and the first time I tried it, I competed in a game with a expert player. It was a swift victory, but it left me fascinated to study and continue enjoying chess,” she said.

“This gathering is about half social and 50% people actually wanting to play chess … It is a pleasant way to unwind, which doesn't involve going to a club to see others my age.”

A Game Revitalized: The Ancient Game in the Contemporary Era

Lately, chess has been firmly established in the societal spirit of the times. The popularity of digital chess proliferated during the pandemic, establishing it as one of the most rapidly expanding internet games globally. In popular culture, the Netflix series a hit show, along with the author's recent novel Intermezzo, have created a distinct imagery surrounding the sport, which has attracted a new wave of enthusiasts.

But much of this newfound attraction of the chess club isn't necessarily about the technicalities of the game; rather, it is the ease of social interaction that it enables, by pulling up a chair and engaging with a person who may be a total stranger.

“It is a brilliant Trojan horse,” remarked one organizer, founder of a local venue in the city, a bookstore, library, cafe and bar, which has organized a popular chess club weekly since it began several years back. His objective is to “take chess off a pedestal and make it feel like pool in a dive bar”.

“It is a very easy tool to get to know people. It somewhat takes the pressure of the need of small talk from socializing with people. You can do the awkward part of making an introduction and talking to someone across a board instead of with no kind of shared activity involved.”

Expanding the Network: Chess Nights Beyond the Capital

Elsewhere in the UK, a similar initiative is a regular chess event taking place at York’s Cafe, near the downtown area. “We found that people are seeking places where one can go out, interact and have a fun evening beyond visiting a pub or club,” said its founder and organiser, a young leader, 21.

Alongside his friend a partner, 21, he purchased chessboards, created promotional materials and started the chess club in the start of the year, during his final year of university. In less than a year, Singh said Chesscafé has grown to draw more than one hundred young participants to its gatherings.

“A chess club has a particular connotation to it, about it being reserved. Our approach is to go the opposite way; it's a social get-together with chess involved,” he said.

Discovering and Engaging: An Alternative Generation of Chess Enthusiasts

Among numerous attendees, chess clubs are an entry point to the activity. Zoë Kezia, in her late twenties, is picking up how to play chess with fellow visitors of the weekly event at Reference Point. She became curious in the pastime was sparked after an pleasurable evening dancing and engaging in chess at a previous Knight Club's occasions.

“It is a strange idea, but it works,” she said. “It promotes in-person exchanges rather than screen-based pastimes. It's a free neutral ground to encounter new people. It is welcoming, one doesn't need to necessarily be good at chess.”

Kezia humorously compared the trendiness of chess with the youth to the superficial image of the “performative male”, an attempt to simulate intellectualism while projecting the appearance of “hipness”. If the chess craze has cultivated a genuine passion in the game is not something she is entirely convinced by. “It's a positive phenomenon, but it’s largely a trend,” she observed. “When you compete with opponents who are really serious about it, it rapidly turns less fun.”

Competitive Gaming and Community

It might seem like a bit of fun and games for those looking to use a chessboard as a networking tool, but serious participants certainly have their place, even if off the dancefloor.

Lucia Ene-Lesikar, in her early twenties, who helps running the club,says that increasingly skilled attenders have established a competitive ranking. “Participants who are in the league will face one another, we'll progress to quarter-finals, advanced stages, and then we will eventually have a champion.”

Ryames Chan, 23, is a serious competitor and chess teacher. He joined in the league for about a year and plays at the club almost weekly. “This is a welcome alternative to engaging in intense chess; it provides a sense of community,” he expressed.

“It's interesting to observe how it becomes more of a social pastime, because previously the sole people who engaged in chess were people who didn't go outside; they simply stayed home. It is typically only a pair competing on a chessboard …

“What I like about here is that one isn't actually playing against the computer, you are facing real people.”