Playing many games makes you faster. Reviewing your games makes you better. Almost every strong player says the same thing: the fastest way to improve is to look back at your own games, find the moment where things went wrong and understand why. This site saves your games for you and lets you replay them move by move, so reviewing takes minutes rather than an evening with a notebook.
Saving your games
To save games you need an account, and creating one takes about a minute:
- Go to your account.
- Enter your email address and press Email me a code.
- Open the email, copy the six-digit code into the page, and you are signed in.
There is no password to remember. The code is valid for ten minutes; if it expires, just ask for a new one. You stay signed in on that device for a long time.
Once you are signed in:
- Every finished online game is saved automatically.
- Games against the computer are saved too, once at least a couple of moves have been played.
- If you played an online game before signing in, the result screen offers a link to sign in and save that game. After you sign in, it is added to your list.
Your email is used only to sign you in. Nobody else can see your email or your games, and there are no public ratings or leaderboards. You can delete your account and all saved games at any time from the account page.
Replaying a game
Your account page lists your games, newest first, with the result, whether it was against a person or the computer, the time control, the date and the number of moves. Tap a game to open it.
On the replay page you will find:
- The board, oriented from your side.
- Start, Back, Next and End buttons to step through the game.
- The move list in WXF notation. Tap any move to jump straight to that position.
On a computer, the left and right arrow keys also step backward and forward.
What to look for
Reviewing is not replaying the whole game passively. Look for a few specific moments:
1. The turning point
Find the move after which the game changed — where an equal position became bad, or a winning position slipped away. Step back two or three moves from there and ask what you were thinking.
2. Lost material
For every piece you lost, find the move that allowed it. Then name the reason. In xiangqi the usual suspects are:
- a cannon screen you created or removed without counting,
- a horse fork you didn't see because you forgot a leg was free,
- a piece pinned between the generals,
- a defender overloaded with two jobs.
See traps for chess players and chess tactics in xiangqi for the full list.
3. Missed chances
Look at your opponent's mistakes too. Was there a moment when their general was short of squares and you could have attacked? Check the classic checkmate patterns against your games.
4. The endgame
If the game reached an endgame, ask whether the result matched the material. Did you trade away the defenders you needed, or push a soldier to the last rank too early? See xiangqi endgame technique.
A ten-minute review routine
After each game — or at least after each loss:
- Minute 1–2: Step through the opening quickly. Did you get your pieces out?
- Minute 3–6: Find the turning point and the moves around it. Write one sentence about what went wrong.
- Minute 7–8: Check every lost piece for its cause.
- Minute 9–10: Pick one lesson and one habit to try in the next game.
One lesson per game is enough. After twenty games, you will notice that the same two or three mistakes keep appearing — and fixing those is the quickest improvement available to you.
Keeping a mistake notebook
Many players keep a simple list: date, game, mistake type, one sentence. After a month, count the types. If "cannon screen" appears ten times, you know exactly what to practise. The replay page makes it easy to revisit any game from the list when you want to look again.
Reviewing with a friend
If you played a friend through an invite link and you are both signed in, the game is saved in both accounts. Open it together, on a call or side by side, and talk through the key moments. Two people see far more than one.
Common patterns you will find in your own games
After reviewing a dozen games, most players discover that their losses follow a few recurring patterns. The most frequent ones in xiangqi are:
- The unguarded palace corner. An enemy horse lands two points in front of your palace corner, and suddenly your general has no escape. See the horse and chariot mate.
- The central cannon left unchallenged. A cannon on the centre file from the opening, never blocked or traded, eventually combines with a second attacker. See the double cannon mate.
- Trading into a drawn ending. You were ahead, traded down, and the opponent's advisors and elephants held. See chariot against defenders.
- Time trouble. You had a good position but spent too long in the opening and had to rush later.
Once you know which pattern is yours, you can target it directly: study that pattern, and in your next games, check for it before every move.
Reviewing wins, not only losses
It is natural to review losses, but wins teach as much. Ask whether your opponent could have defended better, whether you missed a faster finish, and whether the win came from your plan or from their blunder. A win you understand is worth more than a win you were lucky to get.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a password?
No. You sign in with your email and a six-digit code sent to it. There is no password.
Which games are saved?
Finished online games and games against the computer, as long as you are signed in. An online game played before signing in can be saved from the result screen.
Can other people see my games?
No. Only you can see your saved games and your email address.
Can I delete my games?
Yes. Deleting your account removes your account and every saved game permanently.
How do I jump to a specific move?
Tap the move in the move list, or use the Start, Back, Next and End buttons.
