---
title: "How to Study Xiangqi Without Internet or Database Access · Xiangqi Master"
description: "A board, a printed book or manual, and your own past games written down cover most of what a database and online tools provide, just more slowly."
url: https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/how-do-i-study-without-internet-or-database-access
updated: 2026-09-23
source: Xiangqi Master (https://xiangqimaster.com)
license: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
---

# How do I study xiangqi effectively without an internet connection or database access?

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
>
> **A physical board, a printed manual, and a record of your own past games cover most of what internet access provides, just more slowly.** Replaying printed games move by move, drilling basic mates from a diagram, and reviewing your own handwritten scoresheets all work exactly as well offline as they do with a screen in front of you.

## What genuinely does not need a connection

Setting up named mating patterns from memory, working through a printed puzzle book, and replaying your own past games from a kept scoresheet are all fully offline activities that build exactly the same skills as their online equivalents. See [keeping your own scoresheet](https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/how-do-i-keep-my-own-scoresheet) for why a written record pays off here directly.

## What you genuinely lose without a connection

Instant access to a large opponent pool, engine checking, and searchable databases of master games are real conveniences that offline study cannot replicate. The honest trade-off is slower feedback and a smaller pool of material, not a fundamentally different or worse kind of learning for the parts that remain available.

## Related questions

Is a printed book still worth buying if I usually have internet access?

Yes, for the classic manuals particularly; see [whether Chinese xiangqi books are worth studying](https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/should-i-study-chinese-xiangqi-books) for what that literature actually offers.

Can I still improve meaningfully with only offline resources?

Yes, especially in the fundamentals; offline study mainly slows down opponent variety and engine feedback, not the core skill-building itself.

## Related xiangqi resources

Basic checkmates

Mating with ordinary material

Reading notation

炮二平五 and C2=5 — the same move, two ways

How to improve

What to study, in what order

## Try it on a real board

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