Join us for a tournament hosted by Hilt & Helm of Pitttsburgh, PA!
Get Ready for Unicorn Cup 2026!
Greetings, swords friends! We are pleased to announce that the third iteration of our official tournament will be held on January 17th, 2026. Registration is OPEN NOW!!!, so please purchase both a general registration and a tournament registration to fight for fabulous prizes. They’ve been split up to allow you to …
Purchase multiple tournament registrations without paying the registration fee multiple times.
Get on multiple wait lists at the same time as registration for tournaments that are still open.
The Tournaments!
Hilt and Helm Fencing Club’s third iteration of the Unicorn Cup will have the following divisions:
Open Longsword
When: 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Number of Entry Slots: 31/56
Fashion Show!!
When: 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm
Number of Entry Slots: As many as desired
Who May Enter: Anyone with elegant gear to show off!
Open Saber
When: 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm
Number of Entry Slots: 18/28
Open Single Rapier
When: 4:00 pm to 6:30 pm
Number of Entry Slots: 15/28
Who May Enter: Anyone with appropriate gear.
The Schedule
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM: Registration
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Open Longsword
12:00 PM - 12:30 PM: Lunch
12:30 PM - 1:00 PM: Fashion Show
1:00 PM - 3:30 PM: Open Saber
4:00 PM - 6:30 PM: Open Single Rapier
7:00 PM - 11:00 PM: After Party, Location TBD
The Cost
The cost of attendance is $40 base registration + $40 per division in which you choose to participate. You may participate in as many of the 3 divisions as you want, but you must purchase a ticket for each one.
A week before the tournament, base registration will go up to $60, so don’t hesitate!
Volunteers
We are also looking for people to volunteer as judges and table staff. This year volunteers will be paid in ACTUAL CASH as a refund on their order if they are also competing or SWAG CASH if they are not competing. Here are the volunteer payouts:
Directors: $40
Judges and Table Staff: $20
Backup Judges and anyone else: $10
All volunteers will be required to attend an online meeting before hand so that they can get training and orientation prior to the event. There will be 4 meetings leading up to the tournament. The dates will be announced shortly. If you do not attend any of these meetings, your payout will be halved if you do show up on the day of the event and negated if you don’t report for duty. If you’re interested, there is a form attached to the general registration that asks if you’d like to volunteer and if so which positions you’d like to help with. If you don’t plan to attend but want to volunteer anyway, there is a volunteer only registration in the shop that is free. Please “purchase it” so we can keep track of who wants to volunteer for which roles. We will reach out to you to confirm if you have been chosen and what you’ll need to do.
The Venue
Estelle S. Campbell - Boys & Girls Club of Western PA
Address: 4600 Butler St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201
Parking: There is a parking lot in the back behind the venue, but there is plenty of free street parking on Butler Street wherever you don’t see a meter. There is a small lot outside of the venue where we can drop off equipment and find parking later.
This is where the tournament is.
Gear Drop-Off Location
You can drop off your stuff here and find parking afterwards.
Parking Lot
Turn left at the corner of Butler and 46th Street, and you’ll see a driveway on the left. That’s where the parking lot is.
The Food
Light refreshments will be served during the alloted time for lunch. However, the venue is in the heart of Lawrenceville, one of the hottest, most hip neighborhoods in all of Pittsburgh. Below are a short list of restaurants that are within 10 minutes walking distance of the venue.
Banh Mi & Ti
Food Type: Vietnamese
Barb’s Corner Kitchen
Food Type: Breakfast
Nanban
Food Type: Asian
The Abbey on Butler Street
Food Type: American
Walters BBQ Southern Chicken
Food Type: Barbeque
For dinner, we will hold an after party. Details TBD!
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.
Required Gear
Fencing Helmet with back of the head protection
Gorget
Padded Fencing Jacket
Heavy Fencing Gloves (Longsword) or Light Fencing Gloves (Saber, Rapier)
Forearm/Elbow Protection
Groin Protection (we won’t look but for your sake it better be there)
Knee/Shin Protection
Before the Fighting Starts
Each fight will consist of 2 two fighters facing off against each other. All fighters will be in one of these statuses throughout the tournament.
Fighting Now - 2 people are currently in the ring fighting.
On Deck - 2 people who will be fighting after the people that are “fighting now” are done. If you take too long (5 minutes), both fighters will lose and we will move on to the next group of fighters.
In the Hole - 2 people who will be fighting after the next 4 people are done. Be prepared to step in when the time is appropriate.
Sitting around - Everyone else in the pool. Relax, but don’t get too comfortable. You could be “On Deck” or “In the Hole” at any moment so keep an ear out. If you’re going to step outside or use the rest room, let someone know.
Structure of a Match
At the start of each match, each fighter must keep one foot on the corner matching their assigned color until the director calls “Fight!”
The match will continue on a 3 minute non-stopping clock 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
Competitors start with 0 points and can reach a maximum of 10 points.
Head/Torso = 2 Points
Arms/Legs = 1 Point
Whichever fighter is ahead by the end of 3 minutes or reaches 10 points first wins.
Winners of the match will receive the 10 points plus 10 - points scored against them in this match.
Losers will receive points equal to 10 - points scored against them in this match.
If both fighters reach 10 points simultaneously during pools, they both lose and neither is awarded points.
If both fighters reach 10 points simultaneously during elims, that will trigger sudden death. The winner will be the next highest scoring differential action.
Example 1: Tied at 10-10 in Elims, Orange fighter strikes Blue fighter in the hands and parrys the afterblow. MATCH ORANGE.
Example 2: Tied at 10-10 in Elims, Blue fighter strikes Orange fighter in the head, while Orange fighter in-tempo thrusts to the body. The match continues. Orange fighter cuts Blue fighters leg, Blue fighter in-tempo strikes Orange fighter’s head, MATCH BLUE.
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 with sufficient force 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 counted. So if blue fighter thrusts the chest and gets hit on the hands, blue fighter gains two points but orange fighter also gains one point.
Valid Targets
Any quality thrust or cut to a target above the ankle will be considered valid. 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 wood floors and they are not conducive to having people get thrown on them.
Pocket Sand
Expressly forbidden.
Coaches/Spectators
If you would like to have someone coach you during the fight, that is fine; however, when fight is called, they MUST step away from the ring. If they get in the way of a judge, that is a yellow card for YOU. If they do it twice, that is a red card and YOU will lose the match. If either you or the coach argue with the directors that will result in a black card and you will be ejected from the tournament.
Similarly if any spectators are behaving with disorderly conduct, the director will issue a warning. If they have to tell the spectators a second time, the person(s) will be asked to leave the venue.
If anyone argues with the director or the event staff, this will result in a ban from the next tournament. This can apply both fighters, coaches, or spectators. If any clarification is needed the differences between arguing and a respectful conversation, please reach out to us at hiltandhelm@gmail.com before the tournament so we can get on the same page.
Ring Construction
Tournament Layout
The Fashion Show
Fighters should have registered for the fashion show during registration. Any last minute fighters who wish to be judged in the fashion show must register by 12 pm. To register, you’ll be asked to fill out an index card with your name, club affiliation, and a quippy introduction that will be read as you walk down the red carpet. Once everyone has been gathered, you’ll be given an order in which you’ll appear and be ushered off stage. Promptly at 12:30 PM, fighters will walk down the red carpet as they are introduced by the announcer, strike a pose in front of the judges, and walk back up the red carpet so the next person can be called. All fighters will be judged on 4 categories:
Color - How well does your kit stand out from the normal HEMA black?
Uniqueness - Is this a kit that can be bought off the rack, or does it showcase your personality and individuality?
Theme - Does your kit have a theme of some sort? Does it tell a story? Does it have a unifying motif?
Toughness - Is your kit able to withstand tournament level combat or are you merely cosplaying?
Fighters will be given a score from 0 to 40 by a panel of 3 or 4 judges in each category. Audience enthusiasm for your kit will account for an additional 10 points. Whoever has the highest score out of a possible 50 Points will be crowned “The Most Elegant Fighter in All of Pittsburgh!!!” and be given an elegant sash confirming their new position amongst the Pittsburgh HEMA Fashionistas!
Directors Notes
Be decisive
8 pools of 7 in Open Longsword
4 pools of 7 in Rapier and Saber
Don’t have time to over think!
When in doubt, throw it out. Make them fight another bout
Only consult the judges (in a huddle) if necessary.
Stopping the clock for non-emergencies costs time
Use your discretion
You’re a director!
I trust your judgement!
I’ll back you up!
Penalize fighters who mozy into the ring
We have boards that show who’s fighting next
If you have to wait more than 60 seconds, give them a red card.
Yellow Cards
Yellow Card = Warning
Yellow cards don’t transfer from match to match
2 yellow cards for same offense = red card
Yellow Card-able offenses Presenting back of the head
Repeatedly ringing out because they aren’t paying attention
Kiting the ring to abuse ring out rules
Engaging in unsafe behavior
Red Cards
Red Card = Serious Rule Violation
2 red cards for any offense = black card
Red cards DO transfer from match to match
Red Card-able offenses
Hitting off target areas with force (accidentally)
Bad mouthing the director or judge
Hitting after halt has been called
Making the director wait more than 1 minute to get a fight started
Black Cards
Black Card = Immediate Ejection from the tournament!
Use with Caution
Black Card-able offenses
Egregious Red Card-able offense
Judge Notes
If you have any questions or concerns regarding “Da Rules” please feel free to message us at hiltandhelm@gmail.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question 1:
I have questions about registration!
Answer 1:
This page will be updated with information about registration soon!
Question 2:
Can my child participate in the tournament?
Answer 2:
The short answer … is that as long as they are 14 or older and you as a parent consent to their entering … then yes, they may fight in the tournament. Our insurance allows us to have under age combatants so long as we utilize a waiver system which has the parents sign on the same document as the kids (which we do) so their age won’t be a problem.
The long answer (to the parents) is that they will be in a fencing tournament with grown ass adults. We don’t have a junior division. As long as they have fought with adults before and know what they are getting themselves into I’ll allow them to compete.
The other long answer (to the aforementioned grown ass adults) is that you may be fighting against a teenager. You should have enough control over your weapon to control how hard you hit. Them being in a tournament does not absolve you of swinging like a cave man (or woman, however you prehistorically self identify). If you use too much force you will be given a yellow card and if you do it too often you will be thrown out of the tournament. Remember, we’re fighting our friends not our enemies out there. Lets all leave this tournament as healthy as we entered it.
Question 3:
What happens if I want a refund?
Answer 3:
You have until 11:59 pm on Jan 16th to request a refund. After that refunds will not be issued unless directly attributed to a medical issue or inclement weather incident.
Question 4:
What if it snows?
Answer 4:
If it snows and you can’t make it to the tournament for safety reasons, you will be issued a refund as long as you contact us at hiltandhelm@gmail.com on the day of the tournament. If it snows and no one can make it, we will reschedule the tournament as soon as possible. If you can not make it to the new date, you will be issued a refund.