Hi, thought it might be good to build up a list of 960 opening principles. So far I've got:-

Identify weak pawns & plan to attack opponents/defend own.

What has anyone else got so far? How important do you think the centre is compared to regular chess? What about developement & castling?

Lets have some discussion!

Sometimes the bishops are placed in such a way that to develop them only requires a pawn move.

i think in 960 developing the queen early can actually be good

It is always smart too gain control in the centre. So first move your D or E pawn, not the pawn in front of your King.

If it exists, I like opening 960 with a pawn that clears a path for the queen AND a bishop, just like 1. e4 in regular chess. "The best by test."

Always be on the lookout for tactics.

My take so far, with some benefit from reading one book on Fischer Random:

• Watch for undefended pawns in the opening set up.
• If the bishops are of to the side, consider a hypermodern approach.
• If the knights are off to the side, watch the pawn moves as they can easily block the knights in.
• Plan ahead to your king defense: what is your castled position going to look like?
• The queen can come out early if the position makes it hard to attack her.
• Look to how the knights oppose.

The last bit takes some explanation. In normal chess, Nc3 followed by Nf6 leaves both knights attacking the center squares d5 and e4. They are "opposed" on those squares. In Fischer Random, the this opposition might not be directly in the center, might not involve symetrical knight moves, and might not even exist.

My take so far when I'm evaluating an opening, or starting to play one is to

a) really look at the bishops. Often they'll be on off to one side, (hopefully together). The diagonals that they control right off the bat are going to shape the game in the long run. My first move is almost always to open up a good bishop line. My favorite positions to play thus far have been in hypermodern models right off the bat, ie. my king is way to the left side of the board for instance and both of my bishops are far to the right - I love opening up a bishop battery.

b) try to make even a tacit plan about how to get your rooks out and into the game.

c) as opposed to a normal game of chess - chess960 starts with weaknesses in the position. Players who aren't as good at analysing where they might lie often play moves that look natural for normal chess but end up aggravating these positional weaknesses.

If you aren't feeling clear about the position, off the bat play really defensively. Bring your knights out as extra buffer against the enemy bishops, DON'T push a lot of pawns (ie only open lines for your bishop and don't aggressively push pawns - often pawn pushing opens weaknesses behind them). If you don't see a clear plan yet spend all of your moves quietly and patiently improving your positon into something that will make you feel more comfortable.

Another odd anomaly I've noticed - 2 of my games so far have ended in unexpected smothers. So I guess I'd suggest looking at your king position and seeing if he isn't too hemmed in (ie. rooks on either side or some such).

How does one castle in 960?