The Ants problem -- if I'm understanding it correctly -- is a problem of coordinated action.

One of the interesting aspects of the winning entry post-mortem is the description of how dumb and how local the basic strategy the winner used:

There’s been a lot of talking about overall strategies. Unfortunately, i don’t really have one. I do not make decisions based on the number of ants i have or the size of my territory, my bot does not play different when it’s losing or winning, it does not even know that. I also never look which turn it is, in the first turn everything is done exactly the same as in the 999th turn. I treat all enemies the same, even in combat situations and i don’t save any hill locations.

Other than moving ants away from my hills via missions, every move i make depends entirely on the local environment of the ant.

Interesting reading, overall.

EDIT: Another example of overthinking it: http://lesswrong.com/lw/8ay/ai_challenge_ants/56ug One wonders if the winner could understand even half those links.