Updated:  April 2, 1998

Frequently Asked Questions

Last time I visited your site, I noticed the new "Uncle Wang Hall of Fame".  My question is this.  Is it possible for a human to beat Uncle Wang at level 8?  My friend who is a computer science major says that it's impossible.   He says that computers are now too strong for even the best players.  He says that Imperial Dragon Software is holding out an unattainable carrot.
Tell your friend not to be discouraged because it is indeed possible to beat Uncle Wang at level 8.  The truly great players like Hu Rong Hua, Liu Da Hua, and Lu Qin can defeat the current version of Uncle Wang rather easily.  Of course, the normal man or woman is no where near this strong.  So for most people it is going to be a challenge--perhaps an impossible one.  Yet the top 3%-5% of human players should be able to do it.
     

Sometimes Uncle Wang thinks longer than the play level is supposed to allow.  For example, at level 1 it is supposed to think for 5 seconds or less.  Yet once in a while, it thinks for 10 to 15 seconds.  Is there something wrong with my copy of Uncle Wang?  No.  What you are noticing is perfectly normal and just one of the advanced features that contributes to Uncle Wang's playing strength.    At crucial points in the game, usually when it finds itself in trouble, it may think 2 or 3 times longer than normal trying to find a way out.  This behavior is similar to what good human players do.    

What is the best way to run Uncle Wang under Windows 3.1 or Windows 95?
You have two choices.  You can restart your PC in DOS mode, and run Uncle Wang in DOS.  Or you can stay in Windows and run Uncle Wang in a DOS session.  For best results in Windows, run Uncle Wang in a full screen DOS session.  Uncle Wang's graphics do not display as smoothly if run in a Windowed DOS session.      

Are there any books in English on Chinese Chess (xiangqi)?
Yes.  There are a few.  But none of them compare in quality to those in Chinese from mainland China. That being said, our non-Chinese customers say that "Chinese Chess" by H.T. Lau is the best book on the subject in English.  You can probably get it through your local book store.

I am a fairly strong player, one of the best in our association.  In the past, I was able to beat Uncle Wang about 50% of the time at level 6--never using undo more than once or twice a game.  I recently replaced my old computer with a new one, a 200MHZ Pentium.  Now I find it difficult to win even 20% of the time.  I am still using the same version of Uncle Wang.  Am I losing my skill or is Uncle Wang playing better?
Your confidence need not be shaken.  You're not losing your skill.  Uncle Wang is playing better.  It is able to look further ahead and perform more calculations in the same amount of time because you are running it on a faster computer.  In the years ahead as computers get faster and more powerful, your current version of Uncle Wang will continue to grow stronger and stronger.  Someday it will be stronger than the strongest human grand masters.