How do I avoid a draw by repetition while I am winning?
These answers restate the rules implemented by our open-source engine, which follows the WXF laws for movement, checkmate and both repetition rulings: a side that forces a repetition by perpetual check or perpetual chase loses rather than drawing. The chase half has not been validated against the official casebook. Where an answer refers to a specific position, that position lives on the linked reference page, where the build verifies it before publishing.
Direct answer
Take escape points before checking rather than checking on repeat, and remember the rule is built to stop you, not help you, if your checks never vary. In xiangqi a repetition is not automatically a draw the way threefold repetition is in chess: perpetual check is adjudicated against the side giving it, so a winning player who checks the same way forever does not just fail to progress, they lose the game.
Why aimless checking backfires
Repeating the same check pattern without making progress is exactly the situation the perpetual check rule targets, and it is the side doing the checking who is required to vary or stop. Chasing without a concrete plan, the same trap covered in how the move-count rule forces progress, can cost you the win you already had.
The fix
Before checking, confirm the check is part of a sequence taking escape points away, not just annoying the general. If you cannot say what the next two or three moves accomplish beyond forcing a reply, stop checking and improve a piece instead.
Related questions
Does the defender ever have to vary instead?
Yes, if the defender is the one perpetually chasing one of your pieces: a perpetual chase loses for the chasing side. If both sides break the rule equally, or neither does, the repetition is a draw.
Is this different from the sixty-move rule?
Yes, related but separate: perpetual check and chase are their own adjudicated rules, distinct from the general move-count draw.
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