It’s a Wednesday night in central London – the music is blaring, the cocktails are flowing and the room is packed with stylish 20-somethings looking for a good time. But they’re not here for a hedonistic night out, they’re here to play chess. This is Reference Point, the library, bookshop and bar that’s part of major creative hub 180 Studios on the Strand, and the instigator of London’s newly-cool chess scene. The buzzy spot has hosted a popular weekly chess club ever since it first opened four years ago, ushering in a new, more informal way for young Londoners to engage with the centuries-old game.
“I wouldn't say we're the originators of the scene, but I think we were early catching a wind,” says Jonah Freud, co-founder of Reference Point. “Launching our chess club was about taking the game off its historic pedestal. I love chess, but I found that all the chess clubs that were available to me were really unenjoyable and intimidating. I wanted to make a night that felt accessible, like the dive bars I used to go to in New York. Playing a game of chess is just a vehicle to meet people – it's a really easy way to engage with a stranger and there's an in-built conversation to it.”
