What is a good xiangqi rating?
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
It depends entirely on the pool, but as a rough guide on a typical online Elo-style system: 1000–1200 is a new player, 1400–1600 means you have stopped hanging pieces, 1800–2000 is a strong club player, and 2200+ is approaching master strength. Ratings from different sites are not comparable.
Why cross-site comparison fails
A rating is a measure of your performance against the people on that site, calibrated to whatever starting value the site chose. A 1700 on a small site with strong players can be stronger than a 2000 on a large casual one.
The only figure that means anything in the abstract is a national federation rating, and only within that federation.
What actually moves it
Not opening study. Tactics and basic endgames decide almost every game below expert level, and reviewing your own losses is the single highest-return habit. Rating follows from those; it does not respond to reading.
Related questions
How fast should my rating rise?
Early on, quickly — most players gain several hundred points in their first weeks simply by stopping blunders. Then it slows, and that is normal.
Should I play rated or casual?
Both. Casual for experiments, rated for the feedback. Avoid playing rated only when tired or tilted.
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