Freestyle Chess Position Generator

Find positions of Chess960, also known as Freestyle Chess or Fischer Random Chess online. Simply enter a number between 0 and 959 to generate a starting position. The position will be calculated instantly upon entry. If the number entered is invalid, the standard chess starting position will be displayed instead. You can also click the "Randomize" button to get a random position. You can also copy the FEN of the current position to use it on other chess platforms like Lichess.org or Chess.com.
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FAQ

Chess960, also known as Fischer Random Chess, is a variant of chess created by former World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer. The starting position of the pieces on the back rank is randomized, with a few restrictions to ensure a balanced and interesting game. The idea of Chess960 is to reduce the advantage of memorized opening theory and encourage creative and strategic play.

Chess960 and Freestyle Chess are often used interchangeably to refer to the same variant of chess where the starting position is randomized. The term "Freestyle Chess" is referring to the creative and open nature of the variant, while "Chess960" refers to the specific rules and restrictions set by Bobby Fischer. In practice, both terms are used to describe the same variant of chess.

There are 960 possible starting positions in Chess960. This number comes from the fact that there are 960 ways to arrange the pieces on the back rank, with a few restrictions to prevent certain positions that would be unbalanced or uninteresting. Restrictions include that the king must be between the rooks, the bishops must be on opposite-colored squares.

To find a Chess960 position using this tool, simply enter a number between 0 and 959 in the input field above and press Enter. The board will update to show the corresponding starting position. If you want a random position, click the "Randomize" button to generate a random number and position.
The range of 0 to 959 seems to be the standard for position counting. Position 960 would be the same as position 0.

In Chess960, the rules for castling are the same as in standard chess. The king and rook position after castling are the same as in standard chess. Castling is only allowed if the king and rook have not moved before, the squares between the king and rook are empty, and the king is not in check or moving through check.
If you castle king-side (0-0), the king moves to the g-file and the rook to the f-file. If you castle queen-side, the king moves to the c-file and the rook to the d-file (0-0-0). King-side is always the side with the e-file, and queen-side is the side with the d-file.

There are several tournaments. The most prominent ones with famous players are organized by the Freestyle Chess Operations GmbH.
The next tournament takes place from December 8 to December 11, 2025 in Cape Town, South Africa. You can find more information about the tournament here.

Our Users

The Irish Chess Union (ICU) is the national governing body for chess in Ireland. It is responsible for promoting and organizing chess activities, tournaments, and events across the country.
The Freestyle Chess torunament that used this Chess960 position generator was held in July 2025. You can see more information about the tournament here.

The SC Hilchenbach is a chess club based in Hilchenbach, Germany. They recommend this Chess960 position generator on their website as a useful tool. You can visit their tool recommendation page here.
They have organized a Chess960 tournament in 2025. More information about the tournament can be found here.

The SV Het Kasteel is a chess club based in Wijchen-Zuid, Netherlands. They plan on having tournaments and show this Chess960 position generator on their website in an article about Freestyle Chess. You can read the article here.