---
title: "How Xiangqi Software Stores Game Files · Xiangqi Master"
description: "There is no single universal file format like chess PGN. Various xiangqi programs use their own formats, some text-based and some binary, to store games."
url: https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/what-file-formats-store-xiangqi-games
updated: 2026-09-22
source: Xiangqi Master (https://xiangqimaster.com)
license: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
---

# What file formats do xiangqi programs use to store games?

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
>
> There is **no single dominant format** the way PGN dominates chess. Different xiangqi programs have historically used their own file formats, some plain text built around WXF or Chinese move lists, others binary formats bundling headers, moves and diagrams together. Portability between tools is less consistent than it is for chess.

## Why this differs from chess

PGN became a shared standard early and chess software converged on it. Xiangqi software grew up more regionally, with Chinese, Vietnamese and international tools developing somewhat independently, so no single format ever became universal in the same way. Positions fare better: [xiangqi's FEN-style strings](https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/what-is-fen-in-xiangqi) are widely, if loosely, standardised even where move-list formats are not.

## What to do in practice

Most modern tools can import and export plain WXF or Chinese move text even when their native save format is proprietary, so a game is rarely trapped in one program. If you need to move a game between tools, exporting to plain notation is the safest common ground.

## Related questions

Can I just copy the move list as text?

Yes, in most cases. Plain WXF or Chinese notation is readable by more tools than any single native file format.

Does this site use a proprietary format?

No, positions here are defined as FEN-style strings and verified by the rules engine before publishing. See [editorial standards](https://xiangqimaster.com/about/editorial-standards).

## Related xiangqi resources

Reading notation

炮二平五 and C2=5 — the same move, two ways

Analyse your games

Take any position apart with engine support

Editorial standards

How these answers are checked

## Try it on a real board

Reading an answer is one thing; playing it is another. Free, instant, and nothing to install.