All three of the matches so far between the pair having been drawn, and neither was able to claim a lead heading into the first rest day following a 41 move encounter that lasted four hours and 42 minutes.

Nepomniachtchi, who is from Russia but cannot play under the Russian flag due to the World Anti-Doping Agency ban on his country following revelations of state-wide doping, had the advantage of the first move.

Carlsen took an unexpectedly long pause on his tenth move, and as the game progressed through its middle stages Nepomniachtchi appeared to have a slight advantage.

Through move 20 the pace of the game dropped as both players used a lot of thinking time, and with Carlsen keeping his opponent at bay an inevitable draw was played out.

Action is taking place at the Dubai Exhibition Centre as part of Expo Dubai 2020, with the championship set to be decided over 14 games.

Following a rest day tomorrow, action is scheduled to resume with game four on Tuesday (November 30).