Why has my xiangqi rating stopped improving?
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
Two usual causes: study time going into openings instead of tactics and endgames, and games that are never reviewed. Both are common, both feel like work, and neither is fixed by playing more — which is what most plateaued players do instead.
The diagnosis
Look at your last ten losses and classify them: hung a piece, missed a tactic, lost the opening, lost a won endgame. The category that dominates is what to work on. Almost nobody who does this exercise concludes that they need more opening theory.
Play stronger opponents
A rating plateau often means your opponent pool stopped challenging you. Playing people meaningfully stronger produces losses with clear causes, which is exactly the material review needs.
Related questions
Should I change my opening?
Almost never. Changing systems resets the understanding you were building and hides the real problem.
Is a plateau normal?
Yes. Early gains are fast because blunders are easy to remove; later gains need directed work.
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