London chess collective One Square Better is ripping up the rulebook

Picture this: Kojo Dwimoh sends out a text – yes, a real, old-fashioned text – and within seconds his chess community, One Square Better, comes to life. Players flock from all corners of London and all sorts of backgrounds. They might have been competing in chess tournaments since they were kids, or they might not even know how a pawn moves yet. What brings them together is the vibe. What Kojo has built around the game matters just as much as what happens across the board.

“I’ve got a passion for bringing people together. That’s my God-given talent, I believe,” Kojo tells Dazed. At the same time, of course, the chess does matter. The quick-thinking. The competition. “When I see a spark in a young Black kid’s eyes when they learn how to checkmate for the first time, that’s why I keep doing it.”

One Square Better started out as “a bunch of young Black boys making noise in a corner” – AKA a word-of-mouth gathering between Kojo and his friends, starting with chess nights at Reference Point. “We fell in love with the game,” he says. “I saw an opportunity to make something of our own, for us, by us.”

At the same time, Kojo was failing uni. But then he had a bright idea: why not do what he loved and work on his final project at the same time? Over six months, he hosted and photographed community meet-ups in the office where he worked, collected text messages between him and the mandem, and turned it into a 600-page book complete with an augmented reality film. “Then we just kept doing it.”

Now, One Square Better has expanded into an online platform where people can play live matches and learn for free. “Growing up, chess wasn’t lit for young people,” Kojo admits. “It was neeky, but after me and the mandem fell in love with it, I knew shit could change. The missing piece was just the environment to make it lit.”

Kojo’s being modest when he says it was “just” the environment that needed to change, because building that environment is no small feat. Both IRL and across the board, One Square Better has seen people push themselves beyond their limits, guided by a desire to be the best and break new ground. “I’m restless now so I can rest more in the future,” he says, which also means laying the blueprints for the next generation. “I want them to come through the club and have a real chance of becoming grandmasters, to go further than they ever expected they could.”

21-year-old Joshua from North London is a perfect example. He already knew how to play chess, he tells Dazed – a teacher taught him in primary school, although he never let him win. “That’s how I learned and started improving,” he adds. “Then I set up a chess club in sixth form for some of the other students.” Later, he came across One Square Better on TikTok, an oasis in a sea of doomscrolling, and decided to give it a try. Kojo personally greeted him at his first event, and Joshua was immediately drawn in by the “genuine community” he found there.

Coming from Croydon but now based in West London, Jesse has a similar story to tell. “I found out about One Square Better through Instagram,” she says. “You think of chess and you think of an old man sitting and pondering his moves. You think of men in suits. But you come to One Square Better and see people in the latest fashion, wearing down their outfits, showing off their style.”

Below the group break down their top five tips for building a community and keeping its energy alive.

1. ALL THAT MATTERS IS GETTING BETTER (IT’S LITERALLY IN THE NAME)

“It’s about becoming a better version of yourself, whether that’s in chess or anything else. I think of chess as saying no to 63 squares and yes to one, the one that matters. Analyse your moves and make the right one, with the intention of getting better.”

2. PLAY A STRANGER

“So many people come and just sit with their friends when there’s a whole room of people they could meet. When you were a kid, you’d go somewhere with your mum or your cousins and end up making a new friend, and you can still do that now. Sit down with someone you don’t know. Come out of your bubble before it gets popped.”

3. EACH ONE TEACH ONE 

“We have to help the least experienced player get better too, so if you’re much stronger than the person opposite you, teach them something. You can learn from every mistake. It’s not much fun winning against someone you’re miles better than, and it’s not fun for them to get smoked either. But don’t worry, they’re coming for your ass when they get better.”

4. GO BEYOND THE GRID 

“Big up the internet, but some people pull up just to take a picture and show they were there. There are hundreds of Wednesdays behind this, and I’ve given my time to put on something where people can come and get one square better. So embrace it, play, learn and get involved. Show that you care about the space you’re walking into.”

5. IF YOU’RE NOT MAKING HISTORY, WHY BOTHER?

“The endgame for me is a young grandmaster who’s come through our club, trained with us and gone on to become great. That takes years, so I want us to take the talent here seriously and give those players somewhere they can develop. That’s what we’re building towards.”

One Square Better marks a chapter in Under Armour’s Rest Less story, spotlighting the communities and collectives putting their restless energy into action. For them, that means creating inclusive spaces that keep people moving, learning and growing, while making sure there’s always room for someone new to pull up a chair.