Who among us hasn’t played this incredibly popular game as a child! The rules are simple, but to win often, you need to put in some effort. Success comes with experience, and seasoned players aim not only to defeat their opponent but also to “give them shoulder boards.”
What Are “Shoulder Boards” in the Durak Game
You can choose any variation for the game: Podkidnoy, Perevodnoy, or Team Durak. The game follows standard rules, but in the final round, the attacking player uses two sixes against the defender. It doesn’t really matter whether the defender manages to beat them or not - what matters is that the move was made with these specific cards. Sixes are the so-called “shoulder boards.”
Collecting sixes by the end of a round isn’t as easy as it sounds. It requires an experienced player who can manage to play effectively with just four out of six cards for a while.
How the Ranks Are Assigned
Experienced players don’t stop at sixes. In the next round, they strive to collect sevens, then eights, and so on. Each time this happens, the loser receives a new military rank - something they’re usually not too happy about. To “rise to the rank of general,” one must earn each title in turn:
- A seven earns the title of Sergeant;
- An eight corresponds to Staff Sergeant;
- A nine - Lieutenant;
- A ten - Captain;
- Jack - Major;
- Queen - Lieutenant Colonel;
- King - Colonel;
- Ace - General.
And this is not one of those cases where people say, “A bad soldier is one who doesn’t dream of becoming a general.”
On our website, online-durak.com, you can try promoting your opponent to a general by playing Durak online for free without registration against real players. This feature is available to every visitor. With regular practice, you’ll see improvement in no time. We recommend starting with the classic version - Podkidnoy Durak.