NO CODED yoghurts, no hypnotists, no intimidating thugs in the audience these days, but the latest chess world championship, taking place in petrodollar-drenched Dubai, the biggest city in the sportswashing, rights-denying United Arab Emirates, hasn’t lacked drama so far despite opening with a succession of draws.

The game’s moved on since the days of the whey-faced oddball champion: the top modern player tends to be a sociable creature, and focused on the fitness and stamina that the game’s mental challenges demand.  

And the mind games started long before Friday’s first game, with Russian challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi confirming in the media that the Zhores supercomputer, based in the Skolkovo Institute of Science & Technology in Moscow, was again part of his team’s armoury, helping the likeable 31-year-old and his aides to analyse complex board positions. Though rated only fifth in the world, the tech had aided Nepo, as he is conveniently known, to clinch the Covid-prolonged candidates tournament in March, earning the right to play Magnus Carlsen, the world champion since 2013, who turned 31 on Tuesday.

In fact, the pair’s closeness in age means that they met often in tournaments as youngsters. Nepo, surprisingly, held a 4-1 win record, another psychological chip in his favour, against the popular Norwegian going into this best-of-14 match for the world crown — and the lion’s share of a €2 million (£1.7m) prize fund. 

Prior to the first game, played in a glass box isolated from the audience (VIP seats $533, about £400), a kerfuffle over the display of a Russian flag – Russia’s in the world sports doghouse over systemic use of performance-enhancing drugs, of course – could have upset Nepo’s camp’s equilibrium. 

But the challenger, starting with the favoured white pieces, gave a good account of himself, playing out the first of the weekend’s three draws in a dynamic game in which the advantage swung to and fro before the pair called it quits with Nepo unwilling or unable to press a slight advantage.

Saturday’s game, with Carlsen commanding the white pieces, was another teetering and thrilling affair, with the champion losing pieces to gain positional advantage as he strayed from familiar strategic lines. Indeed, it looked like a win was the likeliest outcome for much of the 58-move game, but the exhausted pair settled for a draw and a quick after-game chat before the obligatory press conference.

Sunday’s game, with Nepo back to white, followed the Ruy Lopez opening’s anti-Marshall variation that the pair had played in the first for a few moves before Carlsen wandered off piste, at least as far as human analysts go, but not it seems, among chess engines. But Nepo was equally genned up on his preparation for sidelines and, with a regular liquidation of pieces, the game fizzled out to another draw, this time in 41 moves, followed by a drugs test. The mind boggles.

After Monday’s rest day, the match resumed on Carlsen’s birthday, and with white, the champion was expected to produce a few sparklers, but again Nepo was well prepared in his Petrov defence. Only this game so far disappointed, fizzling out into an early draw by repetition.

Yesterday’s game five was another Ruy Lopez, with Carlsen (black) allowing Nepo to develop a superior position the champion had to expend time, energy and moves to recover. But the challenger could not press home his advantage and the game was again drawn, this time in 43 moves.

The pair go into today’s rest day level on 2.5 points each. Nepo might be regretting not snatching a win from some of his draws, but both players look too good – or well drilled – to lose a game at the moment.