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One of the most vibrant spots on a weekday night in east London's Brick Lane couldn't be a restaurant or a streetwear label temporary shop, it is a chess gathering – or rather a chess club-nightclub fusion, to be exact.

This unique venue embodies the unlikely crossover between chess and London's fervent nightlife culture. It was founded by a young entrepreneur, 27, who launched his first chess club in August 2023 at a smaller bar in Aldgate, a short distance from the present location at Café 1001 on Brick Lane.

“My goal was to create chess clubs for people who look like me and those my generation,” he said. “Usually, chess is only placed in spaces that are full of older people, which is not diverse sufficiently.”

On the first night, there were only eight boards between sixteen people. Today, a “successful evening” at the weekly club event will attract approximately two hundred eighty attendees.

Upon arrival, the venue feels closer to a music night than a chess club. Cocktails are being served and tunes is in the air, but the game boards on each table are not just decorative or there as a gimmick: they are all in use and surrounded by a line of spectators eagerly anticipating for their turn.

One regular, in her mid-twenties, has been attending the club regularly for the last several months. “I possessed little understanding of chess before my first visit, and the initial occasion I ever played, I competed in a game against a expert player. It was a quick victory, but it made me fascinated to study and keep playing chess,” she noted.

“The event is about half social and half participants actually wanting to play chess … It's a nice way to unwind, which avoids visiting a typical nightspot to meet others my age.”

A Game Revitalized: The Ancient Game in the Modern Era

In recent years, chess has been firmly established in the societal spirit of the times. The popularity of online chess proliferated during the global health crisis, establishing it as one of the most rapidly expanding online games globally. Across media, the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, as well as Sally Rooney’s recent novel a literary work, have crafted a distinct imagery surrounding the game, which has drawn in a new wave of enthusiasts.

But much of this newfound appeal of the chess club isn't always about the intricacies of the game; instead, it is the ease of social interaction that it enables, by pulling up a chair and playing with a person who could be a complete unknown individual.

“It's a great Trojan horse,” said one organizer, co-founder of a local venue in London, a bookshop, library, coffee house and lounge, which has hosted a well-attended chess club weekly since it opened four years ago. His aim is to “take chess off a pedestal and transform it into like pool in a dive bar”.

“It is a very simple vehicle to meet people. It kind of removes the pressure of the necessity of conversation away from socializing with people. You can handle the awkward bit of introducing yourself and talking to someone across a game instead of with no context involved.”

Growing the Network: Social Gatherings Beyond London

Elsewhere in the UK, Chesscafé is a recurring chess event held at York’s Cafe, near the downtown area. “We found that people are looking for places where you can socialize, interact and have a fun evening outside of visiting a pub or club,” stated its founder and coordinator, Karan Singh, in his early twenties.

Alongside his associate a partner, 21, Singh purchased chessboards, printed promotional materials and started the chess club in January, during his final year of college. In less than a year, he said Chesscafé has expanded to draw over 100 young players to its events.

“Such a venue has a specific reputation to it, about it seeming reserved. Our approach is to move in the opposite way; it's a convivial get-together with chess as part of it,” he emphasized.

Discovering and Playing: A New Generation of Chess Enthusiasts

For many, chess clubs are an entry point to the game. One participant, 27, is picking up how to play chess with other attenders of chess night at the venue. Her interest in the pastime was piqued after an enjoyable evening moving to music and playing chess at one of the club's occasions.

“It is a unique concept, but it functions well,” she said. “It encourages face-to-face exchanges instead of digital activities. It's a free neutral ground to encounter new people. It is inviting, you don't have to necessarily be skilled at chess.”

Kezia humorously compared the trendiness of chess among the youth to the superficial image of the “ostentatious intellectual”, an attempt to simulate intellectualism while signaling the veneer of “hipness”. If the chess craze has cultivated a genuine passion in the game isn't something she's entirely convinced by. “It's a positive phenomenon, but it’s largely a trend,” she observed. “Once you compete with opponents who are really serious about it, it rapidly becomes less enjoyable.”

Serious Play and Togetherness

It might all be a bit of lighthearted activity for individuals aiming to use a game set as a social vehicle, but serious players certainly have their place, even if off the main party area.

Lucia Ene-Lesikar, in her early twenties, who assists in running the club,explains that increasingly skilled players have established a league table. “Participants who are part of the competition will face each other, we will go to early rounds, semi-finals, and then we will eventually have a league winner.”

Ryames Chan, in his twenties, is a serious player and chess teacher. He joined the competition for about a twelve months and participates at the club almost every week. “This offers a welcome alternative to playing serious chess; it provides a sense of belonging,” he expressed.

“It's interesting to see how it becomes increasingly a social activity, because previously the only people who played chess were people who didn't socialize; they just remained home. It's typically just a pair competing on a chessboard …

“The thing I like about here is that you're not really playing against the digital opponent, you are facing real people.”