I'm extatic that it worked through WINE; I set ENIGMA to disable compiling for a sound engine given the game had no sound whatsoever, so I doubt any extras were necessary.
Indeed, the game checks the board on start. Generating without creating matches (or sabotaging them in post) will be something I'll try implementing if possible. Could help with alleviating some of the board clearing potion voes too.
Thank you very much for your feedback.