What should I do about engine cheating in online xiangqi?
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
Report it through the site rather than accusing in chat. Engine assistance against a human is cheating, and it is detectable — engine-matched play has a statistical signature across many games that a single suspicious move does not. Sites investigate patterns; players are bad at judging individual moves.
Why you cannot tell from one game
Strong moves are not evidence. Beginners lose to good players constantly and attribute it to cheating, and experienced players occasionally find brilliant moves. What is detectable is sustained agreement with an engine's top choices across many games, which no player can sustain.
What sites do about it
Adjust affected ratings, void games, and suspend or close accounts. On this site, ratings are recomputed from stored games rather than corrected by hand, and we will say which actions were taken if you ask.
Related questions
Is using an engine ever allowed?
Analysing your finished games, yes — that is what an analysis board is for. During a game against a person, no.
Is playing the computer cheating?
No, it is a feature. Consulting one while a human waits is the problem.
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