I haven't yet decided how much a gargantua is worth, but can make a reasonable initial approximation, using the well-established values for pieces in a standard chess game as a guide. As we know, queens have the ability to make any legal rook move and also any legal bishop move. So an initial approximation of the value of a queen would be the sum of the value of a rook and the value of a bishop. The well-established value of a rook is 5 and the well-established value of a bishop is 3, so an initial approximation of the value of a queen would be 8. However, the well-established value of a queen is 9. This is a classic example of the adage "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts." :-)
As we also know, gargantuas have the ability to make any legal queen move and also any legal knight move. So an initial approximation of the value of a gargantua would be the sum of the value of a queen and the value of a knight. The well-established value of a queen is 9 and the well-established value of a knight is 3, so an initial approximation of the value of a gargantua would be 12. Applying the adage again, a more precise approximation of the value of a gargantua would be 1 more than the initial approximation, i.e., 13. Fortunately, I don't have triskaidekaphobia :-)
It remains to be seen what the well-established value of a gargantua will eventually be, and that will require a consensus; I can't be the arbiter of what the value will be. The beautiful thing about such a question is that there is a correct answer, it's just not known yet!
Puzzle of the day: how does White mate in one here?
update: here's the solution
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