---
title: "Choosing a Xiangqi App or Website · Xiangqi Master"
description: "Check that it implements the repetition rules properly, offers western piece symbols if you need them, and has real opponents at your level."
url: https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/how-do-i-choose-a-xiangqi-app
updated: 2026-09-22
source: Xiangqi Master (https://xiangqimaster.com)
license: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
---

# What should I look for in a xiangqi app or site?

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
>
> Three things matter. Does it **implement the repetition rules properly** — many simplify perpetual check to a draw, which is the chess rule and will mislead you. Does it offer **western piece symbols** if you are still learning the characters. And are there **real opponents near your level** at the times you play.

## The repetition question is the important one

If a site treats perpetual check as a draw, you will practise a resource that *loses* in tournament play. That is worse than not practising it, because you are learning a habit you will have to unlearn under pressure.

## Nice to have

Move takeback for casual games, an analysis board, stored game history you can review, and puzzles. Stored history matters more than it sounds — reviewing your own losses is the single highest-return activity, and you cannot do it if the games are gone.

## Related questions

Does this site follow the WXF rules?

Yes — our engine implements them and is tested against the official 110-diagram casebook. See [editorial standards](https://xiangqimaster.com/about/editorial-standards).

Do I need to install anything?

Not here. It runs in a browser on phone or desktop.

## Related xiangqi resources

Play xiangqi

Free, in the browser, nothing to install

Perpetual check and chase

Repetition is adjudicated, not automatically drawn

Editorial standards

How these answers are checked

## Try it on a real board

Reading an answer is one thing; playing it is another. Free, instant, and nothing to install.