When Michelle Kong learned how to play chess during the pandemic, it was the first board game she had ever been captivated by. Soon, Kong found herself obsessed, spending hours competing in online chess matches after her finance job ended each day.
But what Kong craved was a chance to play chess in-person, and when she went searching, what she found were two extremes of the spectrum: chess clubs for the very young or very old.
“I was surprised that there wasn’t a community for this sport that everyone plays. I think [young twenty and thirtysomethings] is the largest demographic that chess has not penetrated into yet. I don’t think people had a chess club that was purely for that age group,” says Kong. “I decided to be my first customer.”
In 2023, Kong launched L.A. Chess Club in the basement of Downtown L.A.’s Rhythm Room, welcoming anyone to join her on the bar’s handful of built-in boards. At first, it was just Kong and a friend; here and there, a few others would show up. Kong began streaming games on social media and soon, as the word got out, the community began expanding.
Now, L.A. Chess Club is a ticketed event ($60 per person) that averages 200 attendees on a weekly basis at varying locations around Los Angeles. On a recent Thursday night, a DJ pumped techno and electronic beats in a warehouse in the Arts District as over 50 boards of chess games fired off simultaneously, featuring players of all skill levels. Those who weren’t playing waited by the walls, sipping on drinks from the open bar (which comes with the price of admission) and meeting fellow chess enthusiasts.
The vibe could best be described as a nerdy warehouse rave. Some were dressed in sweaters and jeans, while others wore full dress and heels like it was a Thursday night out on the town—because to some attendees, it truly is.
Michael Halla, known affectionately by regulars as Boston Mike, says “Typically at a chess club, no one says anything. It’s very quiet, it’s very reserved. Over here it’s like a [night]club. Even though there’s no dance floor, you got music, you got booze. Everyone’s doing their thing, enjoying themselves.”
For Alec Victor Santos, who has become L.A. Chess Club’s go-to photographer, the biggest draw is finding young people his age who are into the game. Santos drives 45 miles every week from Rancho Cucamonga to attend. “The guys were really welcoming and that’s what kept me coming. There’s more and more people every week, it’s mostly Gen Z age… and I think it’s a really chill place to go.”
The turning point for the series was a singles meet-up event earlier this year on February 15. Originally, the demographics of L.A. Chess Club skewed heavily male; Kong reported that for a long time, the attendees were 95 percent men, 5 percent women. But after the singles event, the demographics shifted, and the number of women is now double that of men. “One of my biggest objectives is to bring more women into chess,” says Kong. “I don’t think the world has ever seen this many girls playing chess week-to-week.”
Kong has established an Instagram presence for L.A. Chess Club in which she links up people who are romantically interested in each other; she reports having successfully played matchmaker for several couples, and now the event is becoming a space to meet young singles.
L.A. Chess Club is part of a growing ecosystem of L.A. social events that places greater emphasis on something other than pure partying and drinking. As Millennials and Gen Z turn increasingly towards the sober curious movement, social events centered around time-tested board games such as mahjong (which has its own local scene curated by Mahjong Mistress) or chess have grown in popularity.
“This is literally my dream,” says Kong, as she surveys the warehouse filled with a sea of tables occupied by chess players of all levels and abilities. “Every single week, there are a lot of things I don’t have, and our community always pulls up. There’s definitely a very respectful culture and I eventually want to bring it to other places.”
L.A. Chess Club runs Thursday nights from 8pm to midnight at locations around Los Angeles. Tickets cost $60 per person. Details can be found on the event’s Instagram page.