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Decima. Variant on 10 by 10 board where you win when you have 10 points on the 10th row. (10x10, Cells: 100) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]

💡📝Michael Nelson wrote on Mon, Mar 7, 2005 10:40 PM UTC:

Mason,

I have not found Decima to be overly drawish, especially in the latest
version I descibed in my previous comment. In my test games (Zillions of
Games vs. itself at the most intelligent setting), the outcomes in order
or frequency:

1. Win by getting two pieces to the tenth rank.
2. Win by getting a King to the tenth rank.
3. Win by annihilation of the enemy army (including forced suicide
capture).
4. Draw.
5. Win by Pawn promotion.
6. Win by getting more than two pieces to the tenth rank.


The Pawn promotion seldom wins outright by often leads to a win by another
means by forcing a suicide capture by a key defensive piece. 

Some very small endings are decisive  for example Pawn vs. Pawn is a win
by annihilation or promotion in all cases except where the Pawns are in
front of each other on the same file. King vs. X is only a draw if X is a
Rook or if X is a King in certain positions. King vs. Queen, Marshall, or
Seneschal is loss by annihilation. King vs. Palladin, Pope, Duke, Bishop,
or Knight is a win by reahcing th etenth rank. King vs Pawn will depend on
the positioon, but will only draw if the King catches the Pawn on the
promotion square--all other King vs. Pawn endings are decisive.