Starting position #567
Back-rank setup: RNBKNRQB
SP-567 · 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 d1, the rooks on a1 and f1, the queen on g1.
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.
The pawn on e2 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 482.
The engine's main line opens with d3.
Every sentence here is computed from the setup itself and can be checked on the board.
Balance
MBI 91 Morozov Balance Index: 91 of 100 — class A — most balanced.
- Engine evaluation of the starting position: +13 centipawns for White (depth 47, 400 000 000 nodes).
- Rank 90 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 (70 half-moves): +19 → +12 → 0 → 0
- Deeper check (1 200 000 000 nodes, depth 53): +15 cp, +2 cp against the base run — verified
Position facts
- Mirror twin: position #482
- The king starts on d, the rooks on a and f
- It becomes the daily position in 550 days
Puzzles from this position
- Attack on the uncastled king: rook to g4 (f4) — Chess960 specifics · 780
- Attack on the uncastled king: queen to b7 (h1·2) — Chess960 specifics · 780
- Attack on the uncastled king: knight to d5 (c3·16) — Chess960 specifics · 780
- Winning blow: king to d2 (d1·5) — Chess960 specifics · 970
- Attack on the uncastled king: rook to a5 (a1·7) — Chess960 specifics · 1150
- Mate in 2: queen to d6 (b6) — Chess960 specifics · 1320
- Winning blow: king to h1 (g1·35) — Chess960 specifics · 1390
- Mate in 2: knight to d5 (c7) — Chess960 specifics · 1670
- Mate in 3: queen to b7 (c6·2) — Chess960 specifics · 1860
- Winning blow: rook to d1 (d4) — Chess960 specifics · 2060
This position appears in course day 135
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Commentary
The rook already occupies f1, so short castling moves the king alone from d1. A bishop holds the corner on h1 with one diagonal to a8; the second bishop is on c1. On the second rank, e2 leans on the king alone; no other second-rank pawn starts short of a defender. The queen is on g1, the knights on b1 and e1, the second rook in the corner on a1. The engine keeps the edge small, +13 centipawns: d3 d6 c4 c5 Nc3 g5.
Written from the measured facts above and checked against the board before publishing. All 960 positions have one.