Meet Pieces: where a game of chess meets high BPMs

Chess club nights are more than a gimmick: they’re a space for community. Megan Wallace speaks to An-Tim Nguyen and Charles Yaw, the cofounders of Lisbon-based chess club Pieces, to find out more.

In recent years, chess has shed its stuffy reputation, with millennials and Gen Z (including PinkPantheress) taking up the game. Against this backdrop, a number of chess-themed parties have emerged across Europe: contemporary, youth-centred, and tapping into a hunger for deeper connection. This recontextualisation has put the board game in louder, fresher environments, stripped of the lofty seriousness which once made it an academic pursuit. 

Chief among this wave is Pieces, cofounded by Charles Yaw and An-Tim Nguyen. Pieces began in Lisbon, born of Yaw and Nguyen’s love of the game and their awareness of how alienating traditional chess clubs can feel. They’d play spontaneous games at the beach or when hanging out, but the lack of diversity in more formal chess spaces blocked them from becoming embedded in any larger chess community. So the pair set out to make intentional spaces that brought chess to new audiences. “There are plenty of established chess clubs out there, but they're very white and male-dominated. We wanted to reach out to people who look more like ourselves, as well as women,” Nguyen explains.

Pieces events now take place in most regularly Lisbon, and also further afield in cities like Oslo, Paris, and London. A typical event might see a string of chess tables alongside food and carefully programmed music, plus fundraising for local charities. There’s also room to flip the format, with Pieces hosting events in London parks and pop-ups at the Berlin Marathon or festivals like Waking Life. 

Key to the night’s success is its music programming, which subverts the sounds and styles you might associate with chess. The BPMs are high and the vibe is playful, as selectors curate an energy that allows players to drift from the chess boards to the dancefloor.

“The music you’d associate with chess would probably be a jazz band or something slow and meditative, but we like to create some energy in the room. We’ll put a DJ right next to a bunch of chessboards and have them play Jersey club or baile funk,” Yaw says. 

Pieces is open to players with any level of experience, creating a welcoming ambience for beginners to get to grips with the game. But it’s also a space for existing chess fans who might associate the game with solo time rather than community. Nowadays, young chess fans often play on their phones, via apps or websites, seeing chess as a largely solitary pursuit. Pieces wants to change that by making communal games appeal to younger generations. 

Its mission is to introduce socialising into the mix, with low-pressure ways to meet new people. For anyone feeling socially anxious, there are opportunities to opt out of the social aspect or take a breather. “Chess creates a good icebreaker for meeting new people,” Yaw says. “You can sit down and play with someone, and make that connection, or you can sit and play with your headphones on. If you feel socially anxious, chess removes some of that from the situation, you can just go up to someone and say, ‘Hey, do you want to play a game?’” 

In this way, nights like Pieces fit into a wider trend of “soft clubbing”: music events that rely less on alcohol and are more wellness-focused. Nguyen and Yaw are nightlife fans whose events do still serve alcohol, but they see this format as an alternative for anyone who’s become disillusioned with the party scene or, for whatever reason, isn’t interested in the traditional clubbing experience. “Letting your barriers down is quite a challenge,” Yaw says. “For a lot of people—myself included, for a long time.” Pieces is showing clubbing doesn’t have to look one way. 

Yaw and Nguyen note that the connections made at Pieces extend far beyond traditional clubs, which has proved crucial for some players to find their feet in a new city. “When we started Pieces, people would approach us and be like, ‘I just moved to Lisbon and I came alone to your event and met a whole new group of mates,’” Yaw explains. “I think chess helps people make friends, because rather than just dancing next to someone, there’s that quality time.” 

Read more about Pieces on their website