Eagle CAD can't route MAX3221 SSOP chip

You can create a Grid alias. Basically set the grid the way you want it. Then right-click on the Grid icon (it's at the very top, right under the Open one), select New and give it a name. Now regardless of what you're doing, regardless of what the current grid is, you can right-click on the grid icon and select the one you created. Voila. You can do this both for the board and schematic views.