Starting position #852
Back-rank setup: RBBKNRNQ
SP-852 · 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 a1 and f1, the queen on h1.
The kingside rook already stands on f1, so castling short moves only the king, from d1 to g1.
The bishops stand on b1 and c1; their long diagonals reach h7 and h6 once the c- and d-pawns step aside.
Every pawn on the second rank is defended from the very first move.
The setup belongs to the ThroneGuard family; read right to left it becomes position 110.
The engine's main line opens with d4, 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 24 Morozov Balance Index: 24 of 100 — class D — largest edge.
- Engine evaluation of the starting position: +35 centipawns for White (depth 43, 400 000 000 nodes).
- Rank 720 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): +30 → +28 → +8 → 0
Position facts
- Mirror twin: position #110
- The king starts on d, the rooks on a and f
- It becomes the daily position in 603 days
Puzzles from this position
- Attack on the uncastled king: pawn to h4 (g3·3) — Chess960 specifics · 780
- Attack on the uncastled king: pawn to h3 (g2·38) — Chess960 specifics · 780
- Winning blow: king to e3 (f3) — Chess960 specifics · 970
- Winning blow: queen to d4 (a7·2) — Chess960 specifics · 1060
- Winning blow: pawn to e4 (f3·12) — Chess960 specifics · 1200
- Attack on the uncastled king: rook to f8 (f1·19) — Chess960 specifics · 1280
- Mate in 2: queen to f7 (f3·7) — Chess960 specifics · 1320
- Winning blow: knight to d7 (f8·3) — Chess960 specifics · 1700
- Attack on the uncastled king: queen to d5 (g2·6) — Chess960 specifics · 2010
- Chess960 tactic on f3 (e2·2) — Chess960 specifics · 2400
This position appears in course day 36
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Commentary
The rook already occupies f1, so short castling moves the king alone from d1. The queen begins in the corner on h1, the second rook in the other corner on a1. The bishops stand side by side on b1 and c1, one on each colour. Every pawn on the second rank begins with a defender — this setup concedes nothing on move one. The knights are on e1 and g1 — both can reach f3, so a knight move there has to name its file. The engine takes the centre with d4, and White's edge is +35 centipawns: d4 c6 e4 d5 c3 dxe4.
Written from the measured facts above and checked against the board before publishing. All 960 positions have one.