Shogi glossary
Promoted silver
Japanese: 成銀
In shogi, a promoted silver (narigin, 成銀) is a silver general that has been turned over in the promotion zone. It moves exactly like a gold, but the change is a mixed blessing, so players often keep silvers unpromoted.
A promoted silver; moves like a gold.
What changes
Promotion swaps two moves for three: the silver loses its backward diagonal steps and gains two sideways steps and a step straight back. Six directions beat five on paper, but the lost diagonals are often exactly what an attacking silver needs.
When to decline
A silver can always move, so its promotion is never forced. Keep it unpromoted when it needs to retreat diagonally out of the enemy camp, when it attacks the king from behind on a diagonal, or when it is forking two pieces with its backward diagonals as a split silver.
Waiting rarely costs anything, since a silver that declines keeps the right to promote whenever a later move begins or ends inside the zone. Promote when the gold moves are what you need, for example to cover the squares beside the enemy king.
Value
A silver is worth about 5 and a gold about 6, so the gain is small compared with a pawn becoming a tokin. If captured, it returns to the captor's hand as a silver.
FAQ
Should I promote my silver in shogi?
It depends on the job. Promote when you need sideways and backward steps near the enemy king; stay unpromoted when the silver must retreat or attack diagonally. A Japanese proverb even notes that an unpromoted silver is often the good move.
I don't do defense. Hope you brought a castle!
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