Are xiangqi rules the same everywhere?
These answers restate the rules implemented by our open-source engine, which follows the WXF laws and is regression-tested against the official 110-diagram repetition casebook. Where an answer refers to a specific position, that position lives on the linked reference page, where the build verifies it against the engine before publishing.
Direct answer
The movement rules are identical everywhere — no country plays the pieces differently. What varies is the fine detail of repetition adjudication and tournament regulations, where Chinese national rules, WXF rules and some regional practice differ on edge cases involving simultaneous chasing.
What is universal
Board, setup, all seven piece movements, the palace and river restrictions, the flying general rule, checkmate, and stalemate being a loss. If you learn the game in Hanoi you can sit down in Guangzhou without relearning anything that matters.
Where the differences are
Perpetual check is a loss for the checker essentially everywhere. Perpetual chase is where codes diverge: what counts as a chase, whether chasing a protected piece counts, and how to rule when both sides are doing it.
These cases are rare, and they are decided by the rules of the event you are playing in. This site follows the WXF laws, and our engine is tested against the official 110-diagram casebook that settles them.
Related questions
Do Vietnamese rules differ?
Not in movement. Cờ tướng is the same game; tournament regulations follow the organising federation.
What about online rules?
Most servers implement a simplified repetition rule. Ours follows the WXF casebook.
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