Shogi King

Learn › Unit 2: Promotion

The promotion zone

The three ranks furthest from you are the promotion zone 敵陣 — for Sente on this board, ranks 7, 8 and 9; for Gote, ranks 1, 2 and 3.

When one of your pieces makes a move that ends in the zone, starts in the zone, or both, you may turn it over to its promoted side. The board asks you with a Promote / Keep choice whenever you have one.

Moving in

From e6 the silver may promote on any of the three squares inside the zone — but not on d5 or f5.ihgfedcba987654321
From e6 the silver may promote on any of the three squares inside the zone — but not on d5 or f5.

Moving within, and moving out

A piece already in the zone may promote on any move — even one that leaves the zone again.

Starting on e7, every silver move is a chance to promote — including stepping back out to d6 or f6.ihgfedcba987654321
Starting on e7, every silver move is a chance to promote — including stepping back out to d6 or f6.

Promotion is usually a choice. Promoted pieces are generally stronger, but not always better: a silver loses its backward diagonals when it promotes, and sometimes you want to keep them.

The king and the gold never promote.

Try it

Try it: Move the silver into the zone and promote it (choose Promote when asked).

Sente: king g1, silver e6. Gote: king a9.ihgfedcba987654321

Finish the exercise above to complete this lesson.