Deep Reinforcement Learning Xiangqi Player with Monte Carlo Tree Search

Yilmaz, Berk, Hu, Junyu, Liu, Jinsong

arXiv.org Artificial Intelligence 

This paper presents a Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) system for Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) that integrates neural networks with Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) to enable strategic self-play and self-improvement. Addressing the underexplored complexity of Xiangqi--including its unique board layout, piece movement constraints, and victory conditions--our approach combines policy-value networks with MCTS to simulate move consequences and refine decision-making.By overcoming challenges such as Xiangqi's high branching factor and asymmetrical piece dynamics, our work advances AI capabilities in culturally significant strategy games while providing insights for adapting DRL-MCTS frameworks to domain-specific rule systems.