Penalties and Cards
Core concepts
The card system has three tiers. Yellow: warning for a first Group 1 offense (e.g., starting early, corps-à-corps, leaving the strip without justification, incorrect equipment at the start). Red: a touch awarded to the opponent for a repeated Group 1 offense or a first Group 2 offense (e.g., dangerous or dishonest conduct, refusal to obey). Black: exclusion from the competition for Group 3 offenses (e.g., brutal or violent action, deliberate cheating, serious misconduct).
How cards interact
A yellow is a warning; a second Group 1 offense in the same bout is red. Red cards award a touch to the opponent; a fencer may accumulate reds. A black card ends the fencer's participation in the event. Traps: assuming a black card is always for physical violence (it can be for cheating); assuming a yellow is awarded for a first Group 2 offense (it is red); forgetting that reds can be repeated.
Application
Penalties are applied at the moment of the offense and the referee announces the card and the reason. Cards carry across the bout, not across events, except that black cards are event-wide.
Worked example
A fencer, warned earlier for corps-à-corps (yellow), repeats it. The second Group 1 offense is a red: the opponent is awarded a touch. Rule of thumb: Group 1 first = yellow, repeat = red; Group 2 first = red; Group 3 = black.
Traps
- Confusing which group maps to which card.
- Forgetting that a red awards a touch.
- Assuming a black card requires violence.