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Short-range pieces easily can number millions in variety for a great time-waster. [Just vary capturing or not, one step or two or three, en passant capture, back-step or side-step or nay, leap or occasional leap, a direction or two verboten, and all foregoing as to front and back, check condition or location on the board. Or mix the last sentence around. Presto! Now start multiplying the twos and threes of each modality, for example, 2x2x3x2x3x2x2... -- most of the imagined Mutators are presenting only 2 or 3 or 4 possibilities, but there are so many of them. -> Hundreds of thousands of piece-types come out.] Insect Chess high-rated has several screwy ''new pieces'' short-range to monkey around with. Bostick's PRAYING MANTIS moves one square any direction or hops to any square two steps away. TARANTULA moves one square in any direction or hops to any square two or three steps away (powerful). HORNET moves diagonally one square and continues after a half change or direction. COCKROACH moves like King or Knight (previously employed by Betza et al.) BLACK WIDOW moves one square omni-directionally or hops further one (like later Mastodon and all precedents going back to 1890's Paulovits'.