Learn · Chapter 1. What Is Chess960
Reading the Starting Position
Every starting position in 960 has a number from 0 to 959; the classical setup hides under number 518. Before a game, spend ten seconds scouting the first rank: where the queen is, which diagonals the bishops are eyeing, where the king is tucked away. That's not a formality — it's your plan for the opening. The typical mistake is to play the first moves on autopilot, like in classical chess, and blunder into an open diagonal by move three. I finish games like that quickly.
Training your eye on position #50. The queen is the most expensive piece, and her address is the first thing to learn: both the threats and the weaknesses depend on it. Look at White's first rank: where does the queen stand?
e1, correct. Ten seconds of scouting — and the position is no longer foreign.
Now the main character. Find the king — and check the rule from the previous lesson while you're at it: he must stand between the rooks, here that's d1 and h1. Where is the king in this position?
g1 — between the rooks, as prescribed. You're reading the board, not guessing.
This is a preview — the full interactive lesson is in the app.
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