Starting position #603
Back-rank setup: RQNKBRNB
SP-603 · 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 b1.
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.
One second-rank pawn starts with no defender at all: h2.
The setup belongs to the ThroneGuard family; read right to left it becomes position 257.
The engine's main line opens with d3.
Every sentence here is computed from the setup itself and can be checked on the board.
Opening: main line
Stockfish's main line from the start of this setup, 15 moves deep (100 million nodes per move):
1. c4 Nf6 2. a4 d6 3. Nf3 Bc6 4. d3 O-O 5. Bc3 a5 6. Nd4 Bd7 7. O-O e5 8. Nc2 g6 9. g3 Nb6 10. b3 Bh3
Evaluation after the line: -0.10 for White.
Best first moves for White (evaluation in pawns):
- c4 — +0.16
- Nf3 — +0.15
- a4 — +0.15
Balance
MBI 86 Morozov Balance Index: 86 of 100 — class A — most balanced.
- Engine evaluation of the starting position: +15 centipawns for White (depth 47, 400 000 000 nodes).
- Rank 130 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): +9 → +13 → +6 → 0
- Deeper check (1 200 000 000 nodes, depth 52): +16 cp, +1 cp against the base run — verified
Position facts
- Mirror twin: position #257
- The king starts on d, the rooks on a and f
- It becomes the daily position in 117 days
Puzzles from this position
- Attack on the uncastled king: queen to c5 (c2) — Chess960 specifics · 780
- Winning blow: knight to h3 — Chess960 specifics · 780
- Attack on the uncastled king: knight to f2 (d3) — Chess960 specifics · 780
- Winning blow: rook to d8 (d6·2) — Chess960 specifics · 970
- Winning blow: bishop to f4 (c7) — Chess960 specifics · 1060
- Mate in 2: pawn to f8 — Chess960 specifics · 1090
- Winning blow: knight to c4 (e5·2) — Chess960 specifics · 1200
- Winning blow: queen to e5 (d4·2) — Chess960 specifics · 1560
- Attack on the uncastled king: queen to b6 (b2·3) — Chess960 specifics · 1630
- Chess960 tactic on e5 (c5) — Chess960 specifics · 2120
This position appears in course day 107
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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 e1. Among the pawns, h2 is the one that begins without a defender. The queen is on b1, the knights on c1 and g1, the second rook in the corner on a1. The engine keeps the edge small, +15 centipawns: d3 a5 a4 d6 g3 Bd7.
Written from the measured facts above and checked against the board before publishing. All 960 positions have one.