I don't think I've gotten very far without a capture in my games, but according to Tim Krabbe's Chess Curiosities web site, the record for latest first capture is 72 moves (Meijfroidt - Lenoir, Veurne 2000). In fact, in this game, White lost on time at move 72.
http://www.xs4all.nl/~timkr/records/records.htm#Latest%20first%20capture
Originally posted by DaphnesActually it's right on topic. The rule is 50 moves without capturing not before the first capture. Say you have a King against a King, Knight, Bishop combo but the opponent doesn't know how to corner you. After 50 moves it's a draw. And yes it does happen, especially in amateur games.
This has gone so far off topic...and no one has yet to say how far they've gotten without capturing. Even if it was a misconception, the question still stands I think.