The (CXA) xiangqi title system

Posted 2020-05-22 18:25

In the world of xiangqi, stronger players can earn ranks and titles, much like in other mind sports. I will attempt to present the grading system here. (NB: I am not Chinese, and the following explanation is based off of my own understanding of resources and documents I found. There may be gross errors in my explanations below, for which I apologise, and humbly request those with more knowledge to correct me on those points.)

There are a number of organisations that confer xiangqi titles, among them international organisations like the World Xiangqi Federation, and the national organisations of various countries. The one of primary interest is the Chinese Xiangqi Association (CXA), which is the official governing body for xiangqi in China. There are two sets of titles, professional and amateur.

The professional titles are conferred to professional xiangqi players. They are equivalent to the corresponding grades for athletes accorded by the General Administration of Sport in China, the governing body for all sports in China. This also means that Chinese professional xiangqi players are recognised as national athletes.

The amateur titles are conferred by the CXA for attaining a certain placing in competitions.

Note that the xiangqi titles are awarded only based on results in certain competitions. This is unlike the western chess title system or the weiqi and shogi rank systems. This also means that xiangqi titles are only a rough indicator of playing strength, as each title can be earned in various ways which need not have the same difficulty from year to year. Nevertheless, the difficulty of obtaining the Grandmaster and Master titles indicate that the holders are some of the best players in the world.

The titles are:

Professional titles

Grandmaster

The highest rank attainable, equivalent to the sports grade of Master of Sport (International). As of 2019, a total of 68 GM titles were awarded, 43 male and 25 female. To be awarded the title, at least one of following achievements is required:

Master

Equivalent to the sports grade of Master of Sport. To be awarded the title, at least one of the following achievements is required:

Professional 1-kyu

Equivalent to the sports grade of National First-Level Athlete. To be awarded the title, at least one of the following achievements is required:

Professional 2-kyu

Equivalent to the sports grade of National Second-Level Athlete. To be awarded the title, at least one of the following achievements is required:

Professional 3-kyu

Equivalent to the sports grade of National Third-Level Athlete. To be awarded the title, at least one of the following achievements is required:

Amateur titles

CXA Master

Region Master

Amateur 1-kyu

Amateur 2-kyu

Amateur 3-kyu

Amateur 4-kyu

Amateur 5-kyu

Amateur 6-kyu

Notes:

In the Youth Championships, the U16, U14, U12 and U10 divisions are also called the A, B, C and D divisions respectively. Each division is also split into Boys and Girls sections.

Sources:

Series home

← Xiangqi masters