A marathon rarely seen in modern chess

In a striking report published by ChessBase, the extraordinarily long game played by Estonian master Valery Golubenko in February at the Estonian Team Championship is examined in detail. Lasting a total of 228 moves and 6 hours 19 minutes, the encounter stands out as an extremely unusual example in light of the strict time controls and regulations of modern tournament chess. In particular, the endgame that arose in the final phase of the game, with queen against queen and a b-pawn, proved to be a top-level test of both technical accuracy and patience.

According to Golubenko, playing Black he obtained a comfortable game as early as move three of the opening and gradually built up a lasting advantage. But in chess, there is often a long and difficult road between achieving a superior position and actually winning the game. In this case, that was exactly the issue: although Black reached an endgame that looked theoretically promising, converting the advantage turned out to be far more complicated than expected. Golubenko notes that he believed in the technical winning chances of queen and knight pawn against queen, and he carefully advanced his pawn from b6 all the way to b2. However, the 75-move rule in modern FIDE regulations—under which the game is automatically declared drawn once a certain number of moves are reached without a capture or a pawn move—became a factor that directly affected practical calculations.

Such endgames have long held a special place in chess literature. Queen endgames by their very nature involve endless checking threats, distant king manoeuvres, and subtle tempo calculations; when a rook pawn or knight pawn is added, the position becomes even more delicate. Queen endgames with a b-pawn or g-pawn often offer winning hopes for one side, yet still allow the defender to resist for a long time with accurate checks and active queen play. This is where the real value of the report lies: it is not merely “a game that lasted a long time,” but also an instructive case showing how players in modern chess must contend with theory, practical endgame knowledge, and the rules themselves.

The article also includes a personal portrait of Golubenko. An experienced player and FIDE Coach, he won the Estonian Rapid Chess Championship title in 1993 and 1994, and also achieved team successes over several decades with the Diagonaal club in classical, rapid, and blitz chess. Golubenko’s academic side is also noteworthy: he holds a doctorate in applied mathematics, and it is even stated that he developed his own definition of the imaginary unit in advanced mathematics. At the same time, the chess public knows him not only as a strong master, but also as the father of chess-playing daughters Alexandra and Valentina. The fact that Valentina Golubenko became Estonia’s first Woman Grandmaster and the country’s first world champion in classical chess further strengthens this family’s place in chess history.

Ultimately, this 228-move game is a reminder—beyond any debate about records—of how much resilience, technical knowledge, and psychological endurance chess demands. In the computer age, many games are shaped by opening preparation, but games like this show that chess is still written by human will, patience, and endgame mastery. Golubenko’s game contains important lessons especially for players studying queen-and-pawn endgames: the advantage may be obtained very early, but the real test is converting it into victory by the correct method and within the limits of the rules.