What are xiangqi puzzles and are they useful?
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 set position with one right idea — usually a forced mate or a clear material win. They are the single most efficient training tool in the game, because tactics decide almost every game below expert level and puzzles train the recognition that replaces calculation.
Volume works here
This is the exception to the usual advice about reviewing more than you play. The goal is to see 馬後炮 the way you see a familiar face, and that only comes from seeing it many times. Fifteen or twenty focused puzzles beats a hundred rushed ones — stop when you start guessing.
The historical ones
Composed endgame positions from collections like 夢入神機 and 適情雅趣 are still set as puzzles centuries later, because a composed position is self-contained: the material is given and the solution is forced, so nothing about it has aged.
Related questions
How many should I do a day?
Fifteen or twenty with real thought. Quality over quantity once you are guessing.
Should I time myself?
Not while learning a pattern. Time pressure helps once recognition is already there.
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