"One of the liveliest spots on a Tuesday night in east London's Brick Lane isn't a restaurant or a streetwear brand pop-up, it's a chess club or chess club-nightclub hybrid, to be exact. Knight Club is the unlikely crossover between chess and London's fervent nightlife scene. It was started by Yusuf Ntahilaja, 27, who began his first chess club in August 2023 at a smaller bar in Aldgate, not too far from the current location at Cafe 1001 on Brick Lane."
"Cocktails are flowing and music is playing, but the chessboards on every table aren't just ornamental 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 had no knowledge of chess before I came here, and the first time I ever played, I played a game against a grandmaster."
Yusuf Ntahilaja, 27, launched Knight Club in August 2023, first in Aldgate and now at Cafe 1001 on Brick Lane. The weekly event expanded from eight boards and 16 people to roughly 280 attendees on a good night. The format blends DJ-style nightlife with active chess play: cocktails, music, occupied chessboards and queues of onlookers. Many attendees are new to chess and encounter strong players, including grandmasters. The evening balances socializing and serious play roughly 50/50. Pandemic-era online growth and cultural works like The Queen's Gambit have boosted chess's wider popularity.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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