Is it better to study xiangqi alone or with a training partner?
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
Both, doing different jobs. A training partner is excellent for producing games worth reviewing and for testing your analysis of a position against someone else's, since a second honest opinion catches things you missed alone. Puzzle volume and focused drilling, by contrast, are just as effective solo and do not need to wait for a partner's schedule.
What a partner adds
Disagreement, mainly. Explaining why you think a move is right to someone who is not convinced forces a level of clarity that solo review rarely produces, and their view of a shared game is a second data point your own review does not have.
What does not need a partner
Puzzles, checkmate drills and reviewing your own past games all work perfectly well alone, and a lot of real improvement happens exactly there, as covered in how to get better at xiangqi. Do not wait for a partner to be available before doing the study that does not require one.
Related questions
Does a training partner need to be stronger than me?
Not necessarily. A partner at a similar level can still generate useful games and a second perspective.
What if I do not have anyone to study with?
Solo tools, puzzles, drills and self-review cover most of what matters.
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