Climbing Silver.

Static rook · castles into Yagura or a boat castle · 棒銀 bōgin, “the silver like a pole”

The idea

The simplest attacking plan in shogi and the one everyone is taught first: push the rook’s pawn, then march the right silver up behind it, 3h, 2g, 2f, until rook, pawn and silver all press on the same square. The defender has only the bishop and a silver in that corner. Exchange the pawn, land the silver, and either it promotes or the defender gives up material to stop it. The name compares the silver to a pole thrust straight forward. Against a careful opponent it is not decisive on its own, but it teaches the whole idea of attacking: three pieces on one point.

How it goes together

Every move of the line, with reasons

#	Black	White	Why
1	▲７六歩 7g7f	△３四歩 3c3d
3	▲２六歩 2g2f	△８四歩 8c8d	The rook’s pawn goes first.
5	▲２五歩 2f2e	△３三角 2b3c
7	▲３八銀 3i3h	△８五歩 8d8e	And the silver starts to climb.
9	▲７七角 8h7g	△４二銀 3a4b
11	▲２七銀 3h2g	△３二金 4a3b
13	▲２六銀 2g2f	△６二銀 7a6b	Rook, pawn and silver on one file.
15	▲１六歩 1g1f	△４一玉 5a4a
17	▲１五銀 2f1e	△５二金 6a5b	The silver steps to the edge, aiming at 2d from the side.
19	▲２四歩 2e2d	△同歩 2c2d	The break.
21	▲同銀 1e2d	△２三歩 P*2c	The silver lands on 2d, a pawn up. If the bishop takes it, the rook takes the bishop.
23	▲１五銀 2d1e	△６四歩 6c6d	It steps back to the edge and waits.
25	▲２四歩 P*2d	△同歩 2c2d	And comes again with a pawn from hand.
27	▲同銀 1e2d		Same square, one more pawn for the attacker, and the 2-file is broken open.

The plan once you are set up

• Pawn first, silver behind it, rook behind both. Never the silver in front of the pawn.
• Break with the pawn when the silver is ready on 2f or 1e. The exchange on 2d costs nothing and opens the file.
• If the defender puts a pawn in front of your silver, step back to 1e and come again with a pawn from hand. Patience wins the file.
• Once the silver is established on 2d or 1d, the rook’s pawn promotes, or the bishop falls, or both. Do not rush the last step.

What to watch for

• Your own castle. The Climbing Silver uses the right side; the king must go left first, at least to a boat castle (king on 6h, gold 7h).
• A ranging rook opponent leaves the bishop’s corner empty of targets. Against them the silver climbs on the other diagonal, from 7i toward 4f: the diagonal Climbing Silver.
• A defender who exchanges the bishops early takes away the target. Then the same silver joins a Yagura attack instead.

What it is played against

A static rook that keeps its bishop on 3c. The line above is the primitive form, with white playing along; a strong defender gives ground earlier.