How does a fencing team match work?
I · Intermediate · The bout · 2 of 8A relay to 45. Teams of three fence nine bouts, and the score carries over. The first bout goes to 5, the second takes the leading score to 10 and the rest follow in steps of five. Each bout lasts at most three minutes. The first team to 45, or the team ahead when time runs out, wins.
How it works
- Relay: "Each 'lap' (bout) of the relay match consists of five hits (5, 10, 15, 20, etc.)".
- Time: "the maximum time for each bout is 3 minutes".
- First bout: the two fencers fence until one has five hits or the time is up.
- Next bouts: the next pair fence until one team's score reaches ten, and so on.
- If time runs out early: the next pair take up the score where it was left and fence to the target for their own bout.
- Winning: the team "which first reaches the maximum score of 45 hits, or that which has scored the greatest number of hits after the expiry of regulation time".
- Level at the end: the two fencers of the last bout fence one more minute for a deciding hit, with priority drawn by lot.
- Nine bouts: each of the three fencers meets each of the three opponents once. The order is in the organisation rules.
- Video appeals: one for each bout of the relay, kept if the appeal succeeds.
- Sides: the team with more right-handers is placed on the referee's right.
- Injury: a fencer judged unable to continue may be replaced, if a reserve is available.
The glossary has the team match, the bout, the deciding hit, the video refereeing entry and the winning a bout entry.
Tricky cases
The third bout starts at 10-4. How many hits can the trailing team score in it?
As many as it can before the leader reaches 15 or three minutes pass. A fencer can make up a deficit in a single bout.
A bout ends on time at 12-9, short of 15. What does the next pair fence to?
- They take up the score where it was left and fence to the target for their own bout.
It is 44-44 when time runs out in the last bout. What happens?
The two fencers of that bout fence up to one more minute for a deciding hit. Lots are drawn first to decide the winner if nobody scores.
Can a bout end above its target, say at 16?
Yes, in one case: if a fencer scores the last hit of the bout and is awarded a penalty hit at the same time, both count.
Why the rule exists
A running total means no bout is dead: a fencer who comes on ten hits down can win back the whole deficit, and a strong last fencer can rescue a match. That makes team fencing far less predictable than adding up nine separate results.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Team match | Cumulative relay to 45 | FIE t.41 |
| Individual direct elimination | One bout to 15 | FIE t.39 |
| Order of the nine bouts and reserves | Not read | FIE Organisation Rules |
From the rule book
Fédération Internationale d'Escrime, Technical Rules (August 2026), articles t.22.2, t.41, t.45 and t.61.2. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: FIE Technical Rules (PDF).