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Herculean Chess ZIP file. Extended version of chess features the Flying Bishops, the Flying Chariots, Ninja Pawns, Augmented Knights and Zebras.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
💡📝Charles Daniel wrote on Fri, Jun 27, 2008 06:19 PM UTC:
Some tips for players who try this preset out: 
Even if you cannot beat zillions in orthodox chess, you have a chance in this game. 
The reason: pawn play! 
Zillions is horrible in the way it moves pawns. Its logic is as follows: - the starting configuration is very safe for the king. Pushing the pawn forward weakens it 

Therefore it very rarely moves pawns all the way to the center. 
Zillions even prefers to move the ninja pawns sideways.
 The trick to winning is to control the center with pawns, watch out for threats from the sorcerers/other pieces - zillions keeps hopping those into your territory. Once you fend out  piece attacks, zillions cannot win. It has absolutely no basic strategy built into algorithm unlike new chess playing software that is much stronger. 
Once it brings its queen into your territory keep attacking it - (but be careful) and soon you will have the queen trapped. 

It played exactly the same way with the queen in std chess against another computer (crafty) . It always ends up losing the queen and then the game.  




To draw, you can barricade yourself in the starting position and zillions cannot win! It keeps shuffling its pieces into your territory looking for forks, attacks etc. 
It never charges with the pawns which is the way to win if your opponent does this. 



My analysis: the more you can limit its tactics, the better - in Herculean you have a good chance of doing this with the pawns. Thus, one can argue that this is 'harder' for a computer than regular chess. But I am sure that all new software will have no problems at all - pawn play is far superior in new computers.