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Among the liveliest venues on a weekday evening in east London's Brick Lane isn't a dining spot or a urban fashion brand temporary shop, it's a chess gathering – or a chess club-nightclub combination, precisely speaking.

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

“My goal was to create chess clubs for people who share my background and those my generation,” he explained. “Usually, chess is only placed in environments that are dominated by senior individuals, which isn't diverse sufficiently.”

On the first night, there were only eight boards shared by 16 people. Now, a “good night” at the weekly club event will draw approximately two hundred eighty people.

At first glance, the venue feels closer to a DJ event than a traditional chess meeting. Mixed drinks are flowing and music is playing, but the chessboards on each table are not just ornamental or there as a gimmick: they are all occupied and surrounded by a queue of onlookers waiting for their chance to play.

One regular, 24, has frequented the club regularly for the last four months. “I had little understanding of chess before my first visit, and the first time I tried it, I competed in a game with a grandmaster. It was a swift win, but it made me intrigued to study and continue enjoying chess,” she said.

“This gathering is about 50% networking and 50% people genuinely wanting to engage in chess … It's a pleasant way to decompress, which avoids going to a typical nightspot to see other people my age.”

An Activity Reborn: Chess in the Modern Era

Lately, chess has been firmly established in the cultural zeitgeist. The popularity of digital chess proliferated throughout the pandemic, making it one of the most rapidly expanding internet games in the world. In popular culture, the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, as well as the author's recent novel Intermezzo, have crafted a distinct imagery associated with the game, which has attracted a new generation of players.

But much of this newfound appeal of the chess club isn't necessarily about the technicalities of the game; rather, it is the simplicity of social interaction that it enables, by taking a chair and playing with a person who could be a total stranger.

“It is a brilliant clever disguise,” remarked Jonah Freud, co-founder of a local venue in London, a bookstore, reading room, coffee house and bar, which has hosted a popular chess club weekly since it began four years ago. Freud’s aim is to “remove chess from its elite status and transform it into like billiards in a casual pub”.

“It's a really easy tool to get to know people. It kind of removes the weight of the necessity of small talk away from socializing with people. One can do the awkward bit of making an introduction and chatting to someone over a board rather than with no kind of shared activity involved.”

Expanding the Community: Chess Nights Outside the Capital

Elsewhere in the UK, a similar initiative is a recurring chess event taking place at a city cafe, near the downtown area. “Our observation was that individuals are seeking spaces where one can socialize, socialise and enjoy a good time beyond going to a pub or club,” said its creator and coordinator, a young leader, 21.

Together with his associate Abdirahim Haji, also young, Singh purchased chessboards, printed promotional materials and started the chess club in January, during his last year of college. In less than a year, Singh said their event has expanded to attract more than 100 youthful participants to its gatherings.

“Such a venue has a specific connotation to it, about it seeming reserved. Our approach is to go the contrary direction; it's a convivial party with chess as part of it,” he said.

Discovering and Playing: An Alternative Cohort 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 participate in chess with other visitors of the weekly event at the venue. Her interest in the game was piqued after an enjoyable evening dancing and engaging in chess at a previous the club's events.

“It's a unique concept, but it functions well,” she commented. “It encourages in-person exchanges rather than digital pastimes. It's a no-cost neutral ground to meet new people. It's inviting, you don't need to necessarily be good at chess.”

Kezia jokingly likened the trendiness of chess among the youth to the facade of the “ostentatious intellectual”, an effort to feign braininess while signaling the appearance of “coolness”. If the chess trend has cultivated a authentic interest in the sport is not a notion she is entirely convinced by. “It is a positive phenomenon, but it’s largely a fad,” she observed. “When you're playing against people who are really serious about it, it quickly becomes less enjoyable.”

Competitive Gaming and Togetherness

It might all be a bit of fun and games for individuals looking to use a chessboard as a social vehicle, but competitive participants certainly have their role, albeit off the main party area.

Another organizer, in her early twenties, who assists in organise the club,explains that increasingly skilled players have formed a league table. “People who are in the league will play one another, we will progress to early rounds, semi-finals, and then we will finally have a league winner.”

Ryames Chan, in his twenties, is a serious competitor and chess teacher. He has been in the league for about a twelve months and participates at the club almost weekly. “This offers a nice option to engaging in intense chess; it provides a feeling of belonging,” he expressed.

“It is fascinating to see how it evolves into more of a communal activity, because previously the only people who played chess were people who rarely socialize; they simply remained home. It's typically just two people playing on a chessboard …

“What appeals to me about this place is that one isn't actually facing the computer, you are facing live opponents.”