---
title: "Training Tactical Vision With a Real Xiangqi Board · Xiangqi Master"
description: "Set positions up by hand rather than only on a screen. Physically placing the pieces slows you down just enough to notice the pattern properly."
url: https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/how-do-i-train-tactical-vision-with-a-real-board
updated: 2026-09-22
source: Xiangqi Master (https://xiangqimaster.com)
license: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
---

# 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 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
>
> **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](https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/how-do-i-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.

## Related xiangqi resources

Tactics puzzles

One right idea per position

Xiangqi tactics

Forks, pins and discovered attacks

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.