cd power: Thanks for your opinion ... I wouldn't worry much about statistics in this case ... firstly, I would be happy getting  8 queens this way ... secondly, it is very remotely possible and thirdly, my moves are not done in a vacuum and you will probably try to attack these queens and make some kind of damage to them .... about "circling the wagons" ... it may go faster than we think ... remember, pawns can only grow bigger
(with the exception when software do not crossdress them) ... so, attacking pawns multiply the overall power of your pieces ...
The more we know about this variant the better ...
Thanks,
Andy.