Starting position #240
Back-rank setup: BBNRKQNR
SP-240 · ThroneGuard — King on a central file (d/e) with both knights on inner files — the classic-type setup.
Move the pieces right on the board — full Chess960 rules, castle by dropping the king on the rook.
Position features
The king starts on e1, the rooks on d1 and h1, the queen on f1.
The queenside rook already stands on d1, so castling long moves only the king, from e1 to c1.
A bishop starts in the corner on a1: it has a single diagonal, which the b-pawn unlocks, running out to h8.
Every pawn on the second rank is defended from the very first move.
The setup belongs to the ThroneGuard family; read right to left it becomes position 623.
The engine's main line opens with c4.
Every sentence here is computed from the setup itself and can be checked on the board.
Balance
MBI 65 Morozov Balance Index: 65 of 100 — class B — balanced.
- Engine evaluation of the starting position: +22 centipawns for White (depth 48, 400 000 000 nodes).
- Rank 351 of 960 by balance — 1 is the most balanced start.
- Balance band S — slight edge · dynamics along the play-out: equalizing
- Evaluation along the engine's main line (60 half-moves): +19 → +21 → 0 → -3
Position facts
- Mirror twin: position #623
- The king starts on e, the rooks on d and h
- King and rook are neighbours — castling from adjacent squares feels unusual
- It becomes the daily position in 263 days
Puzzles from this position
- Attack on the uncastled king: pawn to d6 (e5·2) — Chess960 specifics · 780
- Attack on the uncastled king: rook to c1 (d1) — Chess960 specifics · 780
- Winning blow: pawn to e3 (d2·2) — Chess960 specifics · 780
- Winning blow: pawn to f4 (e3·4) — Chess960 specifics · 920
- Attack on the uncastled king: pawn to g3 (g2) — Chess960 specifics · 970
- Mate in 2: rook to g8 (g7·2) — Chess960 specifics · 1090
- Winning blow: rook to h6 (h4) — Chess960 specifics · 1280
- Castling-960 to the rescue on h1 (e1·4) — Castling-960 · 1340
- Mate in 3: rook to e7 (e1) — Chess960 specifics · 1630
- Chess960 tactic on d8 (c6) — Chess960 specifics · 2400
This position appears in course day 75
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Commentary
The rook already stands on d1, so long castling moves the king alone from e1. Every pawn on the second rank begins with a defender — this setup concedes nothing on move one. A bishop is shut into the corner on a1 with a single diagonal to h8; the second works the light squares from b1. The queen is on f1 next to the king, the knights on c1 and g1. The engine's main line opens c4 c5, then f4 Nd6 b3 f5.
Written from the measured facts above and checked against the board before publishing. All 960 positions have one.