Do you need to keep a scoresheet in tournament xiangqi?
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
Usually, yes, in formal over-the-board events, though the exact requirement is set by each tournament's own regulations rather than a single universal law. Where it is required, both players record moves as the game is played, in either Chinese or WXF notation, and the record is what an arbiter turns to for any dispute.
Why it matters beyond just formality
A scoresheet is the evidence for exactly the situations that are hardest to resolve by memory: whether a position has genuinely repeated, whether the sixty-move count has actually been reached, or where a piece stood before it was accidentally knocked over. Without one, an arbiter has only both players' word to go on.
Casual and online play
Casual games rarely bother; nobody is going to dispute a park game's move count. Online, the server keeps the record automatically, which removes the practical reason to write anything down by hand, though it does not remove the value of reviewing the game afterward.
Related questions
What notation should I use on a scoresheet?
Whichever the event expects, WXF is the international standard. See reading notation.
What happens if my scoresheet and my opponent's disagree?
The arbiter reconstructs the position from both records and the balance of evidence, the same procedure used for any other over-the-board dispute.
.