Why do I keep missing tactics 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
Almost always because you are not asking what your opponent's last move attacked. Most missed tactics are failures to look rather than failures to calculate — the tactic was visible, nobody looked at that part of the board. Two questions every move fix the majority of it.
The two questions
- What did their last move attack? Including lines it opened or screens it created.
- What does my intended move stop defending? Including cannon screens it removes.
That is the whole method. It takes a few seconds and it catches more than any amount of deeper calculation on the wrong part of the board.
The xiangqi-specific trap
A cannon threat can appear without the cannon moving, because any piece arriving on its line becomes the screen. So a quiet developing move three files away can create a threat against your general. This is the single most commonly missed thing in the game.
Related questions
Does this get better with calculation training?
Less than you would think. Looking beats calculating for this particular failure.
Should I slow down?
Yes. Play some longer games — you cannot build the habit at three minutes a game.
.