Join us for our quarterly in house fencing tournament!
Join Hilt and Helm for “Pillowfecht 10: Check Mate!!!” In this in house tournament, fencers will compete in teams of between 6 and 16 fighters as the opposing kings move their pieces to win a game of chess. The twist this time is when a piece tries to take another, the two fighters engage in a best of 5 exchanges bout to determine if the aggressor will move to the next space or if the defender will stand their ground! Unlike regular chess, all one team has to do to win is check the opposing king and defeat them in combat. Admission is the usual registration fee of $20 (+$10 for equipment rental)
Pillowfecht 10 will be an open weapon, meaning that as long as the following criteria are met the fighters get to choose their weapon:
The weapon is approved by Hilt and Helm staff. Common weapons such as steel longswords, rapiers, sabers, messers, small swords, arming swords, katanas, and daggers are automatically approved so long as the weapons themselves are in suitable condition for sparring. Other weapons must pass inspection by Hilt and Helm staff before being allowed as a viable. Egregiously unsafe weapons such as montante, chain saws, and pocket sand will not be allowed.
Both fighters must require the same type of protection. There are 3 types of weapons:
Very Light Weapons: Only mask and gloves are required.
Light Weapons: Full kit is required, but light gloves are necessary.
Heavy Weapons: Full kit is require, but heavy gloves are necessary.
Both fighters must agree on the weapon match up. If one fighter can’t wield a particular weapon because of medical issues or doesn’t feel up to fighting with a heavier hitting weapon, please be compassionate and fight with the lighter hitting weapon. Afterall, consent is the only thing separating “fighting” and “assault”.
See “Da Rules” section of this page for details on the rules of the tournament.
Spectators can attend for free, competitors must pay a $20 registration fee + $10 if they need to borrow equipment .
Light refreshments will be served.
Please Register!
If you intend to compete, please reserve your spot on PushPress under “Pillowfecht 10: Checkmate!”. This will allow us to figure out how many people to expect ahead of time. If you’d like to simply spectate, please check in under “Pillowfecht 10: Spectator”. Again, if you intend to fight in the tournament, please reserve your spot on PushPress.
How to Register!
EXAMPLE: Click on “Calendar” on our Website.
Navigate the Calendar to “March 29th” and select the left one if you are competing or the right one if you are just spectating.
Equipment
This section explains the equipment required for each weapon set. All fighters will be examined prior to start of the pools to ensure they are in compliance. We have spare equipment people may borrow for an additional $10.00.
Heavy Weapons
Fencing Helmet with back of the head protection
Gorget
Padded Fencing Jacket
Heavy Fencing Gloves
Forearm/Elbow Protection
Groin Protection (we won’t look but for your sake it better be there)
Knee/Shin Protection
Light Weapons
Fencing Helmet with back of the head protection
Gorget
Padded Fencing Jacket
Light Fencing Gloves
Forearm/Elbow Protection
Groin Protection (we won’t look but for your sake it better be there)
Knee/Shin Protection
Very Light Weapons
Fencing Helmet
Gorget
Heavy Fencing Gloves
Groin Protection (we won’t look but for your sake it better be there)
Before the Fighting Starts
Two kings will be chosen from the group of fighters based on level of chess knowledge and fencing experience. It is then up to the kings to choose who they want on their team. If there are 6 people per team, one piece type is assigned per person.
For example:
Harry Balls = King
Esther Buneigh = Queen
Justin Credible = Knight
Austin Tatious = Rook
Shell Debrate = Bishop
Camron Fodder = Pawn
Each time a piece would face another piece, the matching fighters will fight the best of 5 exchanges.
In cases where there are more than 6 fighters, the king will choose who is the left named piece versus the right named piece, which fighter in the pool of pawns will engage when a pawn is taken, and make any other distinctions in the moment. Once a fighter has been chosen to be a specific piece type, they can not choose a different one when the game starts. So once a rook, always a rook … etc.
This will be a test not only of your ability to play chess, but also to match up your fighters in favorable exchanges against other fighters. There is no difference weapon wise between pieces, the only differentiating factor will be skill in combat! If you have any questions related to the rules please reach out to us at hiltandhelm@gmail.com.
Structure of a Match
At the start of each match, one fighter must stay behind the blue line in area of the alley until the director calls “Fight!”
The match will continue except if
The director pauses the clock to discuss a score.
A safety halt is called.
When a judge sees a quality hit land, they will call “Point!”
When the director sees a quality hit land, they will call “Halt!”
Judges will lower their heads.
Fighters will stop fighting and return to their sides.
The director will say “Judges!” and the judges will show their scores.
If a judge sees a strike to the arm/leg, they will raise the hand of the team who scored the point to the side.
If a judge sees a strike to the head/torso, they will raise the hand of the team who scored the point above their head.
The director will adjudicate points as they and the judges can agree.
If all judges and the director agree, points are allotted as the collective sees it.
If the director and at least 1 judge agree, points are allotted as they see it.
If neither the director nor any of the judges can agree, the match is reinitiated.
Scoring
Matches end when 5 exchanges have concluded. Hits are scored as follows:
Head/Torso = 2 Points
Arms/Legs = 1 Point
Who ever has the most points at the end of 5 exchanges wins. In the event of a tie, sudden death will occur. The winner will be the first to perform a clean hit on their opponent.
During the Fighting
Only a “Quality Hit” (defined further in “Da Rules”) will be considered viable means of pausing a match. While paused the time will continue but we’ll try to keep the adjudication as brief as possible.
During the match, fighters may not pass the outside of the blue line closest to the edge of the ring or past the blue lines on either side of the alley.
Doing so once will be counted as a “ring out “and will reset the match.
Doing so twice will be counted as a yellow card and a warning.
Doing so three times will result in the offending fighter losing the match.
Excessive use of force will result in a yellow card. Points can not be scored in the same action that yields a yellow card.
Hitting the back of the head will result in a red card and lose the match for whomever made the blow.
2 yellow cards for the same offense will result in a red card which will cause the fighter to lose that match.
2 red cards for the same offense will cause the offending fighter to be barred from the rest of the tournament.
Quality Hits
A quality hit is performed with the weak of the blade to a valid target by either
a thrust with sufficient force that it would penetrate an unprotected body part if the blade were sharp
or a cut that rotates at least 30 degrees with intention to inflict bodily harm
or a slice that travels at least 1/3rd of the blade’s length
Pommel Strikes are also considered quality hits if and only if they meet the following criteria
The fighter presents the clear capability to perform a pommel strike by raising their pommel in the air above the opponent’s mask.
Does not actually make hard contact with the opponent’s mask. If the director feels the strike was done too hard, the point will be thrown out and the offender given a red card for excessive force. Is this subjective? Yes. So err on the side of caution if you don’t want to be yelled at.
Shouts one of following words to demonstrate their intention:
Bonk!
Pow!
Bam!
Boop!
Other equally humorous words will be considered on a case by case basis.
In-Tempo Hits and Doubles
Instead of using tempo to determine who hit first, once hit a competitor has one step and one swing of their sword to land their blow for it to count as a double. This means that if you go in for an attack, you better guard as you retreat or else your point will turn into a double. If the hit lands, this counts as a double and both scores will be deducted from the appropriate health bar. So if blue fighter thrusts the chest and gets hit on the hands, blue fighter loses one health point but orange loses two.
Valid Targets
Any quality thrust or cut to a target above the knee will be considered valid. Shins will not count as valid targets only because if people target the shin and accidentally hit the ankle, it could result in serious damage. Targeting the knee but accidentally hitting the shin is unfortunate, but at least everyone will walk away unscathed. No strikes to the back of the head will be considered valid and any such strikes will result in a yellow card.
Grappling
Grappling will be allowed; however, both fighters have approximately 5 seconds to resolve the grapple in a quality hit.
Take Downs
Take downs (neither their set up nor their execution) are not permitted. We have hard floors and they are not conducive to having people get thrown on them.
Pocket Sand
Expressly forbidden.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding “Da Rules” please feel free to message us at hiltandhelmfencing@gmail.com.