What do the yellow, red and black cards mean in fencing?
I · Intermediate · Conduct and refereeing · 7 of 8Yellow is a warning. Red is a penalty hit: one hit is added to the opponent's score. Black means exclusion from the competition and a suspension. Offences are sorted into four groups, and the group decides which card comes first. A yellow card followed by any further minor offence in the same bout becomes a red.
How it works
- Yellow card: "a warning". The fencer knows that any further offence will bring a penalty hit.
- Red card: "A hit is added to the score of his opponent and may, if the last hit is at stake, lead to the loss of the bout."
- Black card: exclusion from the competition, suspension for the rest of the tournament and for the following 60 days of the season.
- First group: a yellow card for the first offence, then a red card for each further first-group offence in the same bout.
- Second group: "Every offence in the Second Group, including the first infringement, is penalised by a RED CARD".
- Third group: a red card the first time and a black card the second.
- Fourth group: a black card at once.
- Cumulative: penalties add up and are valid for the bout, apart from the black card, which goes further.
- After a red: a red card can only be followed by another red or by a black.
- The hit annulled: for many offences any hit the offender scored in connection with it is also annulled.
- Several faults at once: the referee penalises the least serious first.
- People off the piste: a yellow card valid for the whole competition for disturbing order, and a black card for a second offence.
- Who decides: the referee. The organising committee's technical directorate may also step in.
The glossary has the yellow card, the red card, the black card, the penalty hit, the groups of offences entry and the referee.
Tricky cases
A fencer gets a yellow card for turning their back and later covers the target with an arm. What card is the second offence?
Red. Both are first-group offences, and a second first-group offence in the same bout is a penalty hit.
Can a red card decide a bout?
Yes. At 14-14 a penalty hit gives the opponent the fifteenth hit.
Does a yellow card carry over to the fencer's next bout?
No. Penalties are valid for the bout. Only the black card reaches beyond it.
A fencer scores and commits a first-group offence in the same action. Does the hit stand?
It depends on the offence. For those marked in the table, such as covering the target or bringing about body contact to avoid a hit, the offender's hit is annulled.
Why the rule exists
A hit is the only currency in fencing, so the standard penalty is paid in hits. Grouping offences by seriousness lets the referee treat a first slip, such as turning the back, differently from something that could hurt, such as using the unarmed hand, without inventing a new scale for each.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| First group (for example turning the back, covering the target, leaving the side of the piste to avoid a hit) | Yellow, then red | FIE t.165; FIE t.170 |
| Second group (for example using the unarmed hand, a violent action) | Red every time | FIE t.166; FIE t.170 |
| Third group (for example disturbing order on the piste, dishonest fencing) | Red, then black | FIE t.167; FIE t.170 |
| Fourth group | Black at once. The offences in it were not read | FIE t.169 |
From the rule book
Fédération Internationale d'Escrime, Technical Rules (August 2026), articles t.158 to t.170. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: FIE Technical Rules (PDF).