Starting position #447
Back-rank setup: RNNQKRBB
SP-447 · ThroneGuard — Both knights start on inner files (b–g) while the king sits centrally on d or e — one of 204 positions filed here.
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 a1 and f1, the queen on d1.
The kingside rook already stands on f1, so castling short moves only the king, from e1 to g1.
A bishop starts in the corner on h1: it has a single diagonal, which the g-pawn unlocks, running out to a8.
One second-rank pawn starts with no defender at all: b2.
The setup belongs to the ThroneGuard family; read right to left it becomes position 704.
The engine's main line opens with e4, putting a pawn straight into the centre.
Every sentence here is computed from the setup itself and can be checked on the board.
Balance
MBI 43 Morozov Balance Index: 43 of 100 — class C — noticeable edge.
- Engine evaluation of the starting position: +28 centipawns for White (depth 45, 400 000 000 nodes).
- Rank 549 of 960 by balance — 1 is the most balanced start.
- Balance band M — moderate edge · dynamics along the play-out: stable
- Evaluation along the engine's main line (60 half-moves): +41 → +4 → 0
Position facts
- Mirror twin: position #704
- The king starts on e, the rooks on a and f
- King and rook are neighbours — castling from adjacent squares feels unusual
- It becomes the daily position in 146 days
Puzzles from this position
- Attack on the uncastled king: pawn to c4 (b3) — Chess960 specifics · 780
- Attack on the uncastled king: knight to d5 (f4) — Chess960 specifics · 780
- Attack on the uncastled king: bishop to c6 (f3) — Chess960 specifics · 920
- Winning blow: king to e2 (d1·9) — Chess960 specifics · 970
- Winning blow: queen to d7 (d2·2) — Chess960 specifics · 1010
- Attack on the uncastled king: knight to d6 (e4·19) — Chess960 specifics · 1200
- Winning blow: queen to f8 (g7·5) — Chess960 specifics · 1280
- Winning blow: rook to d2 (f2·2) — Chess960 specifics · 1610
- Winning blow: queen to g2 (g4) — Chess960 specifics · 1750
- Chess960 tactic on g7 (b7) — Chess960 specifics · 2400
This position appears in course day 21
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Commentary
The rook already occupies f1, so short castling moves the king alone from e1. A bishop holds the corner on h1 with one diagonal to a8; the second bishop is on g1. The knights stand side by side on b1 and c1. Among the pawns, b2 begins without a defender. The queen is on d1 beside her king, the second rook in the corner on a1, and the line runs e4 g6 Nc3 c5 g3 Nc6.
Written from the measured facts above and checked against the board before publishing. All 960 positions have one.