What is the procedure for claiming a draw in 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
In a formal event, a player who believes a draw condition applies stops the clock and calls the arbiter, who then checks the scoresheets against whichever rule is being claimed, the sixty-move count, insufficient material, or a repetition pattern, before ruling. Casual games simply need both players to recognise and agree that a condition has been met.
Why the scoresheet matters so much
Claims like the sixty-move rule or a specific repetition pattern depend on an accurate move history, which is exactly what a scoresheet provides. A claim that cannot be verified against the record is much harder for an arbiter to confirm, which is part of why accurate notation is taken seriously in competitive play.
What happens if the claim is wrong
An incorrect claim doesn't usually end the game in the claimant's favour, the arbiter simply rules that the condition hasn't been met and play continues, sometimes with a time penalty in strict formats for a clearly mistaken claim.
Related questions
Can either player make the claim, or only the one benefiting from it?
Either player generally may raise it; the arbiter's ruling depends on the facts of the position, not on who is asking.
Is the procedure different online?
Usually simpler: most platforms detect rule-based draw conditions automatically and end the game without a manual claim.
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