--- title: "Do Online Xiangqi Servers Implement the Repetition Rules Properly? ยท Xiangqi Master" description: "Many do not. Simplified repetition handling is common online, which is why the same position can be judged differently on different sites." url: https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/do-online-servers-follow-the-repetition-rules updated: 2026-09-22 source: Xiangqi Master (https://xiangqimaster.com) license: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) --- # Do online xiangqi servers follow the real repetition rules? 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 > > **Many do not.** Implementing perpetual chase correctly is genuinely hard, so a lot of servers fall back to a simplified rule โ€” often treating any threefold repetition as a draw, which is the chess rule rather than the xiangqi one. It is the most common place online play diverges from tournament play. ## What to check If you are preparing for over-the-board play, find out what your server does with perpetual check. If it draws, you are practising a resource that will lose you the game in a tournament โ€” which is worse than not practising it at all. ## What this site does Our engine implements the WXF laws and is regression-tested against the official 110-diagram casebook, which is the reference that settles the awkward cases. The same engine adjudicates games and verifies every position published on the site. ## Related questions Why is perpetual chase hard to implement? Because what counts as a chase depends on protection, on whether the capture would be profitable, and on what the other side is doing simultaneously. Does it matter for casual play? Rarely โ€” the positions are uncommon. It matters if you play competitively. ## Related xiangqi resources Perpetual check and chase Repetition is adjudicated, not automatically drawn Editorial standards How these answers are checked Play xiangqi Free, in the browser, nothing to install ## Try it on a real board Reading an answer is one thing; playing it is another. Free, instant, and nothing to install.