How do I train tactical vision with a real board and pieces?
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
Set the position up by hand rather than clicking through it on a screen. Physically placing each piece forces a slower, more deliberate look at the board than a screen does, and that slower look is exactly what tactical training is trying to build. Screens are efficient for volume; a real board is better for the first pass at a new pattern.
Why the physical board still helps
Moving a piece by hand engages a different kind of attention than tapping a square, and for a new pattern that difference matters. Once a pattern is genuinely familiar, a screen and volume take over as the more efficient tool; a physical board earns its place earliest in learning something new.
A simple drill
Set up a single named pattern, 馬後炮 or a horse fork, on the board from memory rather than from a diagram, then play it out both for and against yourself. Being able to reconstruct the pattern from nothing is a stronger test than recognising it once it is already in front of you.
Related questions
Is this better than puzzle apps?
Not better overall, complementary. See how to get better at tactics: puzzles are unbeatable for volume, a real board is better for building the first understanding of a shape.
Do I need a real xiangqi set to do this?
It helps, but any board and improvised markers for the pieces work for the purpose.
.