World records in chess
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Some World records in the game of chess (as played in serious tournaments):
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Longest game
The longest tournament chess game ever to be played under modern time rules was Nikolić - Arsović, Belgrade, 1989, which lasted for 20 hours and 15 minutes with a 269 move draw.
Shortest tournament game
The shortest decisive game ever played in a tournament is often considered to be Đorđević - Kovačević, Bela Crkva 1984. It lasted for only 3 moves (1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 c6 3.e3 Qa5+ winning the bishop).
There have been a number of forfeited games (which could technically be regarded as a loss in zero moves - the most notable example is game two of the 1972 World Championship match between Boris Spassky and Bobby Fischer, which Fischer defaulted), and a number of shorter frivolous examples (a game between Fischer and Oscar Panno, played at the interzonal Palma de Mallorca 1970, for example, went 1. c4 resigns - Panno's resignation is more a sign of his unwillingness to play than any reflection of the position on the board).
Another record is held by the German Robert Hübner, who, in a World Students Team Championship game against Rogoff played in Graz in 1972, agreed to make a draw after one move was played (1. c4) - this was actually beneficial to the whole team, as it improved the player lineup at the other games - and Hübner could enjoy an easy tournament day. However, the arbiters insisted that they play some moves, so they made up a score sheet with ludicrous moves (according to the tournament book the game went 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Ng1 Bg7 4. Qa4 0-0 5. Qxd7 Qxd7 6. g4 Qxd2+ 7. Kxd2 Nxg4 8. b4 a5 9. a4 Bxa1 10. Bb2 Nc6 11. Bh8 Bg7 12. h4 axb4 draw agreed). The referees didn't accept that either - and as Hübner still resisted making a move, it was counted 1-0 in favor of Rogoff.[1]
Latest first capture
The game between Filipowicz and Smederevac, Polanica Zdroj 1966, lasted 70 moves without a single capture. The game ended as a draw.
Longest decisive game without a capture
Nuber - Keckeisen, Mengen 1994 lasted 31 moves without a single capture. In the end Keckeisen resigned.
Greatest Concentration of Chess Grandmasters
Beersheva, Israel has a higher percentage of grandmasters per capita - eight - than any other city worldwide, the majority of them immigrants from the former Soviet Union; the city of 183,000 has one grand master per 22,875 residents.