Xiangqi online

Every position, move and legality claim on this page is verified programmatically against our open rules engine, which implements the WXF laws for movement, checkmate and both repetition rulings: a side that forces a repetition by perpetual check or perpetual chase loses rather than drawing. The chase half has not been validated against the official casebook.

Why the repetition rules are the thing to check

Any competent programmer can implement how a horse moves. What separates a real xiangqi board from a toy is what happens when a game does not resolve cleanly: one side checks forever, or chases a piece it cannot take, and the position repeats.

Most free boards implement the moves and stop there. The hard part of xiangqi is not the moves — it is repetition: when a series of checks or chases is forbidden, and who loses when neither side will give way. Our engine enforces both. In a game against a person, a side that forces a repetition by perpetual check or perpetual chase loses rather than drawing, to the World Xiangqi Federation laws. The chase half is the harder one and has not been validated against the official casebook, and it deliberately misses discovered chases rather than risk taking a game from someone who should have drawn. We would rather write that down than let you discover it in a game.

Rated play and the leaderboard

Every rated game moves both players' ratings, and the leaderboard lists rated players in order. Your profile keeps the record — wins, losses, draws and the full game history, replayable move by move.

You can play casual instead whenever you want to experiment without the result following you around.

Playing the engine

The computer opponent runs at four strengths. The lowest is a patient teacher that will let a beginner finish a game; the highest is a genuine test. Hints are available at any point, and they come from the same engine that is playing you.

No account is needed to play the engine, which makes it the right place to start if you have never played a full game.

Analysis and review

Any finished game can be replayed move by move, and the analysis board lets you take any position apart with engine support — including positions from your own games, which is where the improvement actually comes from.

If you want structure rather than free exploration, the interactive lessons and tactics puzzles both play out on a real board.

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