Starting position #175
Back-rank setup: NRNKQRBB
SP-175 · ThroneScout — A central king (d or e), but with a knight posted out on the a- or h-file.
Move the pieces right on the board — full Chess960 rules, castle by dropping the king on the rook.
Position features
The king starts on d1, the rooks on b1 and f1, the queen on e1.
The kingside rook already stands on f1, so castling short moves only the king, from d1 to g1.
A bishop starts in the corner on h1: it has a single diagonal, which the g-pawn unlocks, running out to a8.
Every pawn on the second rank is defended from the very first move.
The setup belongs to the ThroneScout family; read right to left it becomes position 784.
The engine's main line opens with g4.
Every sentence here is computed from the setup itself and can be checked on the board.
Balance
MBI 34 Morozov Balance Index: 34 of 100 — class C — noticeable edge.
- Engine evaluation of the starting position: +31 centipawns for White (depth 45, 400 000 000 nodes).
- Rank 642 of 960 by balance — 1 is the most balanced start.
- Balance band M — moderate edge · dynamics along the play-out: equalizing
- Evaluation along the engine's main line (60 half-moves): +46 → +19 → +24 → 0
Position facts
- Mirror twin: position #784
- The king starts on d, the rooks on b and f
- It becomes the daily position in 1380 days
Puzzles from this position
- Attack on the uncastled king: bishop to c6 (h1·4) — Chess960 specifics · 780
- Winning blow: pawn to d5 (c4·4) — Chess960 specifics · 780
- Winning blow: knight to c7 (a6) — Chess960 specifics · 920
- Winning blow: king to c1 (b2·4) — Chess960 specifics · 970
- Mate in 2: bishop to g4 — Chess960 specifics · 1220
- Winning blow: pawn to h7 (h6·3) — Chess960 specifics · 1250
- Winning blow: queen to b7 (e7) — Chess960 specifics · 1430
- Mate in 3: queen to e6 (b3) — Chess960 specifics · 1630
- Winning blow: king to e3 (e2·5) — Chess960 specifics · 2060
- Chess960 tactic on a7 (e3·2) — Chess960 specifics · 2400
This position appears in course day 34
In your browser or in the Android app. Nothing to install · Free, no ads
Commentary
The rook already occupies f1, so short castling moves the king alone from d1. A knight is in the corner on a1 with b3 as its only move; a bishop holds the corner on h1 with one diagonal to a8. No second-rank pawn begins undefended. The queen is on e1 next to the king, the second bishop on g1. The published line opens g4 g6, then f4 f5 gxf5 gxf5 — the g-file is opened on both sides.
Written from the measured facts above and checked against the board before publishing. All 960 positions have one.