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Fencing is competed in both individual and team events.
Individual
The Qualifying Round is a round robin with the field divided
into pools. Each competitor in the pool fences each other in a "bout".
These are of five hits which last up to three minutes. If scores are
level at the end of the time, a sudden death decider is conducted.
Direct Elimination is the second round. Fencers are ranked from
the Qualifying Round in a tableau. The top ranked meets the bottom ranked
in a head to head table to fight for the full 15 hits. The winner progresses
to the next round. The loser progresses to the sidelines.
The Finals are for the last four remaining fencers. These semi
finalists compete to determine who fights for the Gold Medal and the
coveted Commonwealth Champion title with the runner-up awarded the silver.
Both defeated semi-finalists receive the bronze medal.
Team
There are three fencers per team who each fence the three in the opposing
team. Nine bouts are fenced. The first team to score 45 hits wins the
match. The score is a "relay" with each bout taking the score to the
next multiple of five hits. Each bout has a maximum time of 3 minutes
and if no team reaches 45 the leading team at full time is the winner.
If scores are tied, an extra sudden death minute is added and the first
single hit wins.
In Direct Elimination, teams are ranked from the results of the individual
event. The top ranked team meets the one ranked at the bottom. Winners
progress, losers fight out for a final classification rank. Losing semi
final teams fight for the bronze medal in this session.
In the Finals session the winning semi finalists compete for the Gold
Medal and Commonwealth Title with the runner up receiving the silver.
Penalties
In both individual and team events, fencers breaching rules are "carded".
A Yellow Card is received for the first occurrence of a minor offence.
If, in the same bout, the fencer commits another minor offence - either
the same offence, or a different one - they receive a Red Card. A Red
Card automatically awards a penalty hit to the opponent. For more serious
offences, Red Cards may be awarded without a preliminary Yellow Card.
Yellow and Red cards are cancelled at the end of the bout, so the fencer
enters their next bout with a "clean slate".
Very serious offences result in a Black Card, which means expulsion
from the event or the entire tournament.
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