Starting position #781
Back-rank setup: QRKBNRBN
SP-781 · BastionScout — A c- or f-file king with at least one knight out on the edge.
Move the pieces right on the board — full Chess960 rules, castle by dropping the king on the rook.
Position features
The king starts on c1, the rooks on b1 and f1, the queen on a1.
The king already stands on c1, so castling long moves only the rook, from b1 to d1.
The bishops stand on d1 and g1; their long diagonals reach h5 and a7 once the e- and f-pawns step aside.
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 BastionScout family; read right to left it becomes position 184.
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 40 Morozov Balance Index: 40 of 100 — class C — noticeable edge.
- Engine evaluation of the starting position: +29 centipawns for White (depth 46, 400 000 000 nodes).
- Rank 564 of 960 by balance — 1 is the most balanced start.
- Balance band M — moderate edge · dynamics along the play-out: stable
- Evaluation along the engine's main line (60 half-moves): +40 → +24 → +23 → +6
Position facts
- Mirror twin: position #184
- The king starts on c, the rooks on b and f
- King and rook are neighbours — castling from adjacent squares feels unusual
- It becomes the daily position in 1032 days
Puzzles from this position
- Attack on the uncastled king: king to c2 (c1) — Chess960 specifics · 780
- Attack on the uncastled king: knight to d6 (f5·9) — Chess960 specifics · 850
- Attack on the uncastled king: rook to g1 (f1·6) — Chess960 specifics · 1110
- Attack on the uncastled king: queen to e6 (e5) — Chess960 specifics · 1200
- Winning blow: pawn to g8 (g7) — Chess960 specifics · 1390
- Mate in 2: queen to a5 (a2) — Chess960 specifics · 1440
- Mate in 3: queen to c5 (b5) — Chess960 specifics · 1630
- Mate in 3: queen to a5 (b4) — Chess960 specifics · 1630
- Mate in 3: queen to c5 (b5·2) — Chess960 specifics · 1760
- Chess960 tactic on e8 (b5) — Chess960 specifics · 2400
This position appears in course day 25
In your browser or in the Android app. Nothing to install · Free, no ads
Commentary
Both castlings are one-sided here: the rook already occupies f1 and the king already stands on c1, so each move sends a single piece. The bishops are on d1 and g1, one on each colour. The pawn on d2 leans on the king alone; no other second-rank pawn starts short of a defender. The queen begins in the far corner on a1, the knights on e1 and h1 — the cornered one has g3 as its only move. The engine takes the centre with e4: e4 e5 Nd3 b6 Ng3 Ng6.
Written from the measured facts above and checked against the board before publishing. All 960 positions have one.