Ian Nepomniachtchi, 32, and Ding Liren, 30, Russia’s world No 2 and China’s world No 3, begin their €2mil 14-game title match on Sunday at 10am BST in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Nepomniachtchi will play under a neutral Fide flag. While the pair push their first pawns, Magnus Carlsen, who announced several months ago that he would be abdicating after a highly successful 10-year reign, will be relaxing on his skiing holiday in Chamonix after competing in this week’s online Chessable Masters.
The Norwegian is comfortable with his decision to jettison his title and its baggage of months of hard slog preparation every alternate year.
Carlsen defended the crown four times, and already has a secure place at the pinnacle of chess history, alongside or nudging ahead of Garry Kasparov and Bobby Fischer.