Zarnitsa (russian: Всесоюзная пионерская военно-спортивная игра «Зарница», All-Union

Young Pioneer A pioneer movement is an organization for children operated by a communist party. Typically children enter into the organization in elementary school and continue until adolescence. The adolescents then typically join the Young Communist League ...

military sports game Zarnitsa) was a massive children's war game organized within the Young Pioneers organization. The game was an imitation of military actions (reconnaissance, battles, etc.)"Мысы — родина «Зарницы»? Будущая Всесоюзная военная игра зародилась в школе Краснокамского района, считает учительница Зоя Кротова", '' Zvezda'' no. 52 (31920) May 18, 2012
archive at webcitation
retrieved December 13, 2014) The word ''zarnitsa'' literally means "

heat lightning Heat lightning, also known as silent lightning, summer lightning, or dry lightning (not to be confused with dry thunderstorms, which are also often called dry lightning), is a misnomer used for the faint flashes of lightning on the horizon or o ...

". The game's rules are based on

capture the flag Capture the flag (CTF) is a traditional outdoor sport where two or more teams each have a flag (or other markers) and the objective is to capture the other team's flag, located at the team's "base", and bring it safely back to their own base. ...

concept. Two teams each have a base with a flag on it. Their goal is to take over the opponent's flag and preserve their own. Every player has two shoulder straps that serve as health indicators and can be torn off by the opponents. Losing one indicates "wounded", losing two indicates "dead". The "wounded" players cannot run and should only walk. The "dead" players leave the game. It was intended for schoolchildren of 4-7 classes (10-13) years. A similar game, Orlyonok ( Орлёнок), was for older schoolchildren.

References

{{reflist Military education and training in the Soviet Union Vladimir Lenin All-Union Pioneer Organization Russian games Soviet games

See also

References