It was originally due to take place in Dubai in December 2020, but has now been rearranged to take place during Expo 2020 Dubai, a six-month international festival scheduled to be held at the Dubai Exhibition Centre.

Defending world champion Magnus Carlsen has already booked his place in the World Chess Championship, described as "the highlight of the world chess calendar", now scheduled to take place between November 16 and December 16. 

The contest will be decided over the best of 14 games, with the scores of all the matches added together to determine the winner, who will receive a prize fund of €2 million (£1.7 million/$2.4 million).

The identity of the Norwegian’s opponent in the showpiece match is still to be decided, with Carlsen set to face the winner of the FIDE Candidates Tournament.

Although the tournament began as scheduled in March 2020 in Yekaterinburg in Russia, the competition was halted because of the development of the coronavirus pandemic.

At the point it was stopped, there were joint leaders at the top of the standings - France's Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Russia's Ian Nepomniachtchi, both with 4.5 points.

The Candidates Tournament is due to resume in Yekaterinburg on April 19 and conclude on April 28. 

Whoever prevails will face the current world champion in both the rapid and blitz formats, with 30-year-old Carlsen set to make his fifth appearance in a World Championship match.

Mohamed Al Ansaari, vice-president of Communications at Expo 2020 Dubai, said: "Expo 2020 Dubai will be a global celebration of the very best of humankind, held in one of the world’s most welcoming and ambitious nations - what better place to host a thrilling showdown between the brightest minds in chess?

"Just as chess unites people of all ages and backgrounds from across the world, and encourages strategic thinking and problem solving, Expo 2020 will also bring the world together to build bridges and inspire solutions to some of the most pressing shared challenges of our time.

"The FIDE World Chess Championship will be an exciting highlight of Expo’s events calendar, enjoyed by millions of physical and virtual visitors worldwide."

FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich added: "The World Championship match is an outstanding event, and we are proud to team up with Expo to create a breath-taking experience not only for the hardcore chess fans, but also for the wider audience.

"This year's match will be exceptional in many ways, and I believe it is going to be an event to remember for the years to come.

"Chess - a game with hundreds of years of history but still enigmatic, is going to manifest its beauty in this competition of two best chess minds, and thanks to the cooperation between Expo and FIDE we shall see the entire chess world following this battle."