Starting position #519
Back-rank setup: RNBQKNRB
SP-519 · 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 g1, the queen on d1.
Castling ends where it always does: king to g1 and rook to f1 on the short side, king to c1 and rook to d1 on the long one.
A bishop starts in the corner on h1: it has a single diagonal, which the g-pawn unlocks, running out to a8.
The pawn on f2 is defended by the king alone — the classic soft spot of the standard setup.
The setup belongs to the ThroneGuard family; read right to left it becomes position 530.
The engine's main line opens with d4, 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 47, 400 000 000 nodes).
- Rank 547 of 960 by balance — 1 is the most balanced start.
- Balance band M — moderate edge · dynamics along the play-out: volatile
- Evaluation along the engine's main line (60 half-moves): +21 → +24 → +27 → 0
Position facts
- Mirror twin: position #530
- The king starts on e, the rooks on a and g
- It becomes the daily position in 8 days
Puzzles from this position
- Attack on the uncastled king: pawn to e5 (f4·6) — Chess960 specifics · 780
- Attack on the uncastled king: pawn to c5 (d4·11) — Chess960 specifics · 780
- Attack on the uncastled king: king to h2 (g1) — Chess960 specifics · 780
- Winning blow: knight to d6 — Chess960 specifics · 920
- Attack on the uncastled king: queen to g5 (h5·3) — Chess960 specifics · 1010
- Winning blow: queen to a6 (a8) — Chess960 specifics · 1200
- Winning blow: knight to d7 (b6·4) — Chess960 specifics · 1290
- Winning blow: rook to e6 (e1·23) — Chess960 specifics · 1650
- Winning blow: rook to e7 (e3·8) — Chess960 specifics · 1870
- Mate in 3: rook to h7 (h1·8) — Chess960 specifics · 2170
This position appears in course day 10
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Commentary
Castling is ordinary in both directions from e1, with the queen on d1 next to her king. A bishop holds the corner on h1 with one diagonal to a8; the second bishop is on c1. On the second rank, f2 leans on the king alone; no other second-rank pawn starts short of a defender. The knights are on b1 and f1, the rooks on a1 and g1. The engine takes the centre with d4 and the line runs d4 d5 g4 g6 c3 Ne6.
Written from the measured facts above and checked against the board before publishing. All 960 positions have one.