The Longest Game

By Valery Golubenko

This time I will carry out a detailed analysis of the endgame "queen and knight pawn versus queen" that arose on move 88 of my game against Kirill Gorkov (Estonian Team Championship, Tallinn 2026). I will try to understand why it was theoretically drawn for such a long time, at first from move 88 to move 125, and then in different circumstances.

After each move, starting from move 88 and ending with move 228, I will indicate the number of moves required for Black to deliver mate, or leave it blank — this will mean that the position is theoretically drawn (which for instance is the case from move 88 to 149, except for moves 125-126).

Readers will find it interesting to follow how the numbers change: if after Black's move the number does not decrease by 1, this means that Black is playing inaccurately (and the greater the difference, the more inaccurate the play); if after White's move the number decreases, this means that White is playing inaccurately (and the larger the decrease, the more inaccurate White's play); if after White's move the number remains the same, this means that White is defending in the most stubborn and resilient way. As you may already have guessed, after Black's move this number cannot decrease by 2 or more, and after White's move it cannot increase even by 1.

Master Class Vol.17 - Boris Spassky

In this video course, experts including Dorian Rogozenco, Mihail Marin, Karsten Müller and Oliver Reeh, examine the games of Boris Spassky. Let them show you which openings Spassky chose to play, where his strength in middlegames were and much more.

On March 9^th 2026, on Fischer's birthday, which isvery memorable to me, I submitted an application to Guinness World Records. For the time being, I will keep the exact category confidential, but I am absolutely convinced that at the present moment, under today's draconian time controls and the restrictions laid down in the current FIDE Laws of Chess, the game Gorkov– Golubenko is the longest classical tournament chess game ever played in terms of number of moves.

Unlike other long games in the entire history of world chess, this game did not result in the dull drawish endgame of R+B vs R, which was studied yet by Philidor more than 275 years ago. It was filled with intense struggle until the very last, 228th move, and ended only due to the automatic 75-move rule in a winning endgame for Black, which is still little studied and remains extraordinarily complex even for the stronger side. Or not so little now?

Picture of Boris Vasilyevich Spassky with future grandmasters Valentina Golubenko and Aleksandr Volodin, in June 2006, at the Mikhail Botvinnik Central Chess House. Valentina and Aleksandr are the best students of Anastasia Golubenko, Aleksandr is rating number 1 in Estonia now and president of club Diagonaal.

The Endgame Academy Vol.2: Theoretical Rook Endgames

Grandmaster Dr. Karsten Müller, one of the world’s leading endgame experts, guides you step by step through everything you need to know in this second volume.
Picture this: you’ve outplayed your opponent move by move, you’re clearly better – and then the endgame slips into a draw, simply because you lacked the crucial theoretical knowledge. That is exactly where this course comes in. Without solid endgame skills, there’s no way forward. Rook endgames are most essential: they occur more often than any other type of endgame, and often make the difference between victory and half a point. If you master them, you’ll confidently convert your advantages into wins!
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: Bodycheck