Starting position #528
Back-rank setup: BBRNKQNR
SP-528 · 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 c1 and h1, the queen on f1.
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 a1: it has a single diagonal, which the b-pawn unlocks, running out to h8.
The pawn on d2 is defended by the king alone — the same soft spot f2 is in the classical setup.
The setup belongs to the ThroneGuard family; read right to left it becomes position 527.
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 59 Morozov Balance Index: 59 of 100 — class B — balanced.
- Engine evaluation of the starting position: +24 centipawns for White (depth 49, 400 000 000 nodes).
- Rank 398 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): +21 → +32 → +25 → 0
Position facts
- Mirror twin: position #527
- The king starts on e, the rooks on c and h
- It becomes the daily position in 502 days
Puzzles from this position
- Attack on the uncastled king: pawn to e5 (f4·23) — Chess960 specifics · 780
- Attack on the uncastled king: knight to g5 (h3·3) — Chess960 specifics · 780
- Attack on the uncastled king: queen to d3 (e2·3) — Chess960 specifics · 920
- Winning blow: queen to f2 (g2·2) — Chess960 specifics · 920
- Winning blow: bishop to h4 (e7) — Chess960 specifics · 970
- Winning blow: queen to d5 (c5·3) — Chess960 specifics · 1200
- Winning blow: queen to c6 (d5·5) — Chess960 specifics · 1280
- Mate in 2: queen to c7 (b7·4) — Chess960 specifics · 1320
- Mate in 3: queen to f6 (h8) — Chess960 specifics · 1630
- Winning blow: knight to c4 (e3·7) — Chess960 specifics · 1870
This position appears in course day 72
In your browser or in the Android app. Nothing to install · Free, no ads
Commentary
Castling is ordinary in both directions from e1, with the queen on f1 next to her king. A bishop is shut into the corner on a1 with a single diagonal to h8; the second works the light squares from b1. The pawn on d2 leans on the king alone; no other second-rank pawn starts short of a defender. The knights are on d1 and g1, the rooks on c1 and h1. The engine's main line opens c4 c5, then e4 b6 b3 e5.
Written from the measured facts above and checked against the board before publishing. All 960 positions have one.