Check it out How chess has made a move into clubland

One of the liveliest spots on a Tuesday night in Brick Lane, east London, isn't a restaurant or a streetwear pop-up, it's a chess club - or chess club/ nightclub hybrid, to be exact.

- Sinéad Campbell

Knight Club is an unlikely crossover between chess and London's fervent nightlife scene.

It was started by Yusuf Ntahilaja, 27, and takes place at Café 1001 on Brick Lane. "I wanted to make chess clubs for people who look like me and people my age," he said. "Typically, chess is only put in spaces that are full of older people, which isn't diverse enough." On the first night, there were only eight boards between 16 people. Now, a busy night at the weekly Knight Club will see about 280 people.

At first glance, Knight Club feels more like a DJ event than a chess club. Cocktails are flowing and music is playing, but the chessboards on every table aren't ornamental. They are all occupied, and surrounded by onlookers awaiting their turn to play.

Jimmy Ifeanyi, 24, has been attending Knight Club regularly for four months. "I had no knowledge of chess before I came here, and the first time I ever played, I played against a grandmaster. It was a quick win, but it made me intrigued to learn and keep playing chess," she said. "The event is about 50% social and 50% people actually wanting to play chess... It's a nice way to decompress, which doesn't involve going to a club." Online chess grew in popularity in the pandemic, making it one of the fastest-growing internet games.