An anchor structure placed in an open field in corner areas of the semiconductor die and along die edges for preventing cracks in the die. In the corner areas, the anchor structure is placed perpendicular to a resultant vector force, which is approximately at a 45.degree. angle to an imaginary horizontal line passing through the die. This perpendicular placement of the anchor structure more uniformly distributes the stresses along the anchor preventing corner cracks in the die. Along the die edges, the anchor structures are placed approximately perpendicular to the resultant vector forces that impinge the die edges.