Section 5: Rules of Play
5.1 Bout Formats
Fencing competitions use two primary bout formats:
- Pool Bouts: In the preliminary round, fencers are divided into pools of 5–8 competitors. Each fencer meets every other fencer in the pool once. Pool bouts are fenced to 5 touches with a maximum time of 3 minutes of effective fencing time (clock stops when the referee calls “Halt”, per Technical Rules t.23). If time expires before either fencer reaches 5 touches, the fencer with the higher score wins.
- Direct Elimination (DE) Bouts: Following pool seeding, fencers compete in a single-elimination bracket. DE bouts are fenced to 15 touches over three periods of 3 minutes each, with a 1-minute rest between periods. At the start of each period, and of any additional minute of fencing time, fencers are placed on guard in the middle of the piste (t.22.8).
5.2 Right of Way (Priority) — Foil and Sabre
Right of way is the foundational convention that distinguishes foil and sabre from épée. When both lights illuminate simultaneously, the referee must determine which fencer had priority by applying the conventions of fencing (Technical Rules t.82ss for foil, t.100ss for sabre):
- The Attack: An attack is the initial offensive action made by extending the arm and continuously threatening the opponent's target, preceding the launching of the lunge or flèche (t.9.1, t.83, t.101). The attacker holds priority until the attack is completed, parried, or falls short.
- The Parry and Riposte: A defender who deflects the incoming blade with their own blade (parry) immediately gains priority for the return attack (riposte). The riposte must be executed without delay, without hesitation or pause, to maintain priority (t.86, t.105).
- Counter-Attack: A touch made against an opponent who has already initiated their attack (t.12). In compound attacks, the opponent has the right to stop-hit, but to be valid the stop hit must arrive before the attacker has begun the final movement of the attack — that is, it must precede the conclusion of the attack by one period of fencing time (t.88 for foil, t.103.2 for sabre).
- Simultaneous Actions: When both fencers initiate attacks at the same moment with no identifiable priority, the hits exchanged are annulled for both fencers (t.89.2, t.106.1).
- Point in Line: A fencer who extends the weapon arm and continually threatens the opponent's valid target has established a “point in line” (t.15). The attacker must first deflect the point in line before attacking; a mere contact of the blades is not sufficient to deflect it (t.84.1, t.102.1).
5.3 Épée: No Priority
Épée has no right of way rules (Technical Rules t.90–92). When both competitors are hit and the apparatus registers both hits as valid, there is a double touch — a hit scored against each competitor (t.92). Per Annexe B to the Material Rules, the apparatus registers a double touch when the two hits arrive less than 40 ms apart, and registers only the first hit when the interval exceeds 50 ms.
5.4 Team Relay Format
Team bouts consist of 9 individual relay bouts between the three members of each team. Each relay bout has a cumulative target score, in increments of 5 touches, up to Bout 9 fenced to 45 touches. The team reaching 45 first wins. The reserve fencer may substitute for any teammate once during the match, but the substituted fencer may not return.
5.5 Terrain and Movement
Fencers may advance, retreat, lunge, and flèche (a running attack) at foil and épée; the flèche and any forward movement in which the rear foot completely passes the front foot is forbidden at sabre and penalised as an offence of the 1st group (Technical Rules t.101.5). Corps à corps (body contact) is forbidden at all three weapons: it is an offence for a fencer to intentionally cause corps à corps to avoid being hit or to jostle the opponent (t.25.2), while a corps à corps brought about by a flèche attack or vigorous advance, without brutality or violence, commits no fault (t.25.3).