Starting position #830
Back-rank setup: RKNQRBBN
SP-830 · RampartScout — The king starts on b or g while a knight begins on the a- or h-file — the smallest family.
Move the pieces right on the board — full Chess960 rules, castle by dropping the king on the rook.
Position features
The king starts on b1, the rooks on a1 and e1, the queen on d1.
From b1 the king makes the longest journey Chess960 allows when castling short: five squares to g1.
The bishops stand on f1 and g1; their long diagonals reach a6 and a7 once the e- and f-pawns step aside.
The pawn on b2 is defended by the king alone — the same soft spot f2 is in the classical setup.
The setup belongs to the RampartScout family; read right to left it becomes position 132.
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 34 Morozov Balance Index: 34 of 100 — class C — noticeable edge.
- Engine evaluation of the starting position: +31 centipawns for White (depth 46, 400 000 000 nodes).
- Rank 624 of 960 by balance — 1 is the most balanced start.
- Balance band M — moderate edge · dynamics along the play-out: equalizing
- Evaluation along the engine's main line (60 half-moves): +56 → -7 → 0
Position facts
- Mirror twin: position #132
- The king starts on b, the rooks on a and e
- King and rook are neighbours — castling from adjacent squares feels unusual
- It becomes the daily position in 1094 days
Puzzles from this position
- Winning blow: bishop to b7 — Chess960 specifics · 780
- Attack on the uncastled king: bishop to c4 (b3·2) — Chess960 specifics · 780
- Winning blow: queen to f8 (f2·2) — Chess960 specifics · 1060
- Attack on the uncastled king: bishop to a7 (e3·4) — Chess960 specifics · 1150
- Attack on the uncastled king: bishop to d4 (g1·11) — Chess960 specifics · 1250
- Mate in 2: queen to d8 (d2·8) — Chess960 specifics · 1320
- Attack on the uncastled king: bishop to e5 (d4·7) — Chess960 specifics · 1480
- Attack on the uncastled king: queen to e8 (e4·6) — Chess960 specifics · 1630
- Mate in 3: knight to b5 (c3·4) — Chess960 specifics · 1630
- Winning blow: pawn to c8 (c7·8) — Chess960 specifics · 2060
This position appears in course day 60
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Commentary
The king begins on b1, and short castling takes him five squares across the board to g1. The knights are on c1 and h1 — the first right beside the king, the cornered one with g3 as its only move. The queen keeps her classical square d1 even though the king has left the centre, and the rooks are on a1 and e1. The bishops stand side by side on f1 and g1, one on each colour. On the second rank, b2 leans on the king alone; no other second-rank pawn starts short of a defender. The engine takes the centre with e4: e4 e5 Ng3 Ng6 d4 exd4.
Written from the measured facts above and checked against the board before publishing. All 960 positions have one.