Getting Started with Xiangqi AI and Game Analysis

Where Should You Start on a Phone or Computer?

Your situation	Start here
You want to try it without learning how to install and load an engine	Follow the web version guide, with instructions for phones and computers.
You want to install Xiangqi software for your system	See Download Pikafish and choose Windows, Android, iOS, macOS, Linux, or HarmonyOS.
You already use the Pikafish app	See App Help to find the import, analysis, and save controls for your device.
You already have a familiar GUI and know how to load engines	Download the engine from the official website, then configure it in your GUI.

For your first use, get analysis working on one position before adjusting advanced settings. The web version needs to download the engine the first time you open it; an unfinished download does not mean it cannot analyze.

What Is the Difference Between an Engine and a GUI?

The engine calculates moves; the interface makes it convenient to use. Pikafish is a Xiangqi engine. The board, move list, import buttons, and analysis panel are usually provided by the graphical user interface, or GUI.

Some apps combine both, ready to use when you open them. An engine-only download needs to be loaded into a compatible GUI. If you downloaded an engine file and see no board, that does not necessarily mean anything is broken. See What Is an Engine? and What Is a GUI?.

Review a Game with the Engine

The steps below use the Pikafish web version. For the corresponding app controls, refer to its help page.

1. Import the game. Choose a supported game file, paste the moves, or play through the game yourself. Image recognition captures a board position: check the pieces and side to move afterward. One image cannot reconstruct the whole earlier game. See Import a Game.
2. Scan the whole game first. Open “Evaluation,” then “Game Analysis.” “Quick analysis” checks the best move at each position; “Thorough analysis” examines more playable alternatives and takes longer. For the phone and computer controls, see Game Analysis.
3. Return to the position before a problem move. Check the recommended move, then try your actual move and follow the suggested continuation for a few plies to see the difference. First understand the missed defense, lost material, or missed attacking chance, rather than rushing to memorize a long line.
4. Write your own explanation. Add variations and notes, then save or export the game. For example: “Defending first stops the opponent from capturing with tempo.” See Variations and Notes.

Playing a move or leaving the page stops whole-game analysis; completed results are kept. To explore moves yourself, you can wait until analysis finishes and then go back through the game.

How Do You Read Scores, Depth, and PV?

Check whose perspective the score uses. The web version labels it as “Red score” or “Black score”: a positive value favors the named side. Other GUIs may display scores differently. A score is the engine's assessment, not an unconditional guarantee of a result. Numbers from different versions should not be compared directly either.

Depth does not mean every line was searched equally far. The engine prunes, reduces, or extends different branches. Scores and recommended moves may change early in analysis. Give important positions more time instead of judging only how quickly the depth increases. See Depth.

PV is the currently recommended principal variation. It includes moves for both sides and represents the engine's current main line, not a sequence the opponent is certain to follow. If the opponent chooses a different reply, analyze that position again.

To learn where scores come from, see Position Evaluation and NNUE. For UCI cp, mate, and WDL, see Score Output.

What Should You Check When Results Differ or Analysis Does Not Respond?

• Is the position correct? Check the pieces, side to move, and whether board editing is complete. For perpetual check or perpetual chase, keep the starting position and move history too. A FEN alone cannot restore the whole history.
• Which result are you looking at? In the web version, “Engine” calculates on your device, while “ChessDB” looks up stored data. The database may not contain the current position; see ChessDB.
• Are the settings appropriate? Start with defaults. If you need to adjust threads, Hash, or the number of variations, consult UCI Options. Larger values do not automatically mean better results.

Local analysis uses power and generates heat, so turn it off when you are done. In each review, choose a few key lines to understand, then think through them on the board yourself. That is how AI suggestions become your own judgment.