Starting position #690
Back-rank setup: BRQKNBNR
SP-690 · 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 c1.
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 second rank carries 2 pawns with no defender at all: a2, f2.
The setup belongs to the ThroneGuard family; read right to left it becomes position 455.
The engine's main line opens with b4.
Every sentence here is computed from the setup itself and can be checked on the board.
Balance
MBI 94 Morozov Balance Index: 94 of 100 — class A — most balanced.
- Engine evaluation of the starting position: +10 centipawns for White (depth 43, 400 000 000 nodes).
- Rank 49 of 960 by balance — 1 is the most balanced start.
- Balance band E — even · dynamics along the play-out: stable
- Evaluation along the engine's main line (64 half-moves): +29 → -4 → -8 → 0
- Deeper check (1 200 000 000 nodes, depth 49): +10 cp, 0 cp against the base run — verified
Position facts
- Mirror twin: position #455
- The king starts on d, the rooks on b and h
- It becomes the daily position in 29 days
Puzzles from this position
- Winning blow: bishop to b8 — Chess960 specifics · 780
- Attack on the uncastled king: pawn to e4 (f3·9) — Chess960 specifics · 780
- Winning blow: bishop to c6 (d7) — Chess960 specifics · 780
- Winning blow: bishop to a5 (c3) — Chess960 specifics · 920
- Winning blow: pawn to c5 (c4·7) — Chess960 specifics · 1250
- Winning blow: rook to g8 (g7·2) — Chess960 specifics · 1280
- Mate in 3: pawn to a6 — Chess960 specifics · 1630
- Mate in 3: queen to e6 (g6) — Chess960 specifics · 1630
- Winning blow: knight to g5 (h3·9) — Chess960 specifics · 1840
- Mate in 3: pawn to d7 (d6·5) — Chess960 specifics · 1980
This position appears in course day 27
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Commentary
The king begins on d1 with the queen beside him on c1, and castling is ordinary in both directions. A bishop is shut into the corner on a1 with a single diagonal to h8; the second bishop is on f1. Two pawns begin with no defender at all: a2 and f2. The knights are on e1 and g1, the rooks on b1 and h1. The engine keeps the edge small, +10 centipawns, and the b-file opens for both: b4 b6 c4 c5 bxc5 bxc5.
Written from the measured facts above and checked against the board before publishing. All 960 positions have one.