Starting position #678
Back-rank setup: QRBKNBNR
SP-678 · 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 d1, the rooks on b1 and h1, the queen on a1.
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.
The bishops stand on c1 and f1; their long diagonals reach h6 and a6 once the d- and e-pawns step aside.
One second-rank pawn starts with no defender at all: f2.
The setup belongs to the ThroneGuard family; read right to left it becomes position 470.
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 13 Morozov Balance Index: 13 of 100 — class D — largest edge.
- Engine evaluation of the starting position: +41 centipawns for White (depth 45, 400 000 000 nodes).
- Rank 836 of 960 by balance — 1 is the most balanced start.
- Balance band L — large edge · dynamics along the play-out: equalizing
- Evaluation along the engine's main line (60 half-moves): +45 → +27 → +7 → 0
Position facts
- Mirror twin: position #470
- The king starts on d, the rooks on b and h
- It becomes the daily position in 255 days
Puzzles from this position
- Attack on the uncastled king: pawn to f4 — Chess960 specifics · 780
- Attack on the uncastled king: pawn to d5 (e4·19) — Chess960 specifics · 780
- Winning blow: rook to h2 (h1·3) — Chess960 specifics · 920
- Winning blow: bishop to f5 (g6·2) — Chess960 specifics · 920
- Winning blow: knight to b8 (d7·3) — Chess960 specifics · 1060
- Winning blow: bishop to e4 (g2) — Chess960 specifics · 1200
- Winning blow: rook to c5 (c4·2) — Chess960 specifics · 1290
- Mate in 2: queen to d6 (f6·2) — Chess960 specifics · 1450
- Winning blow: queen to d8 (d7·5) — Chess960 specifics · 1700
- Winning blow: bishop to c6 (e4·16) — Chess960 specifics · 2100
This position appears in course day 7
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Commentary
The king begins on d1 and castling is ordinary in both directions, with the rooks on b1 and h1. The bishops are on c1 and f1, the knights on e1 and g1. Among the pawns, f2 is the one that begins without a defender. The queen begins in the far corner on a1. White's edge here is a wide one, +41 centipawns: e4 b6 d3 g6 b3 Bg7.
Written from the measured facts above and checked against the board before publishing. All 960 positions have one.