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After two-plus weeks of nail-bitingly close play, the World Chess Championship came down to its 12th and final regulation game on Monday, with the two talented young grandmasters, Sergey Karjakin and Magnus Carlsen, in a dead heat. The New York Times reports.

But those expecting fireworks at the venue in Manhattan were disappointed. Within 20 minutes of the opening move, the game was headed for a near-certain draw.

After 30 moves and 36 minutes, it was over, with the players agreeing to a draw.

Both players have performed brilliantly, with almost no false steps. Through 12 games, each player has managed just one win, with 10 games ending in draws.

The tiebreakers on Wednesday will take on a character different from the methodical games played so far. The day will start with four rapid games, in which each player has 25 minutes to complete his moves. If the players are still tied after four games, the next round will consist of up to five two-game blitz matches, in which each player has five minutes to complete his moves.

Should each of these two-game matches end in a draw, the players will go to a sudden-death game, in which the player with the black pieces will have only four minutes to complete his moves. If that game ends in a draw, the player who has black will be the world champion.