Get Ready for Unicorn Cup 2027!
Join us for a tournament hosted by Hilt & Helm of Pitttsburgh, PA!
Greetings, swords friends! We are pleased to announce that the fourth iteration of our official tournament will be held on January 16th, 2027. 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.
To volunteer this year, also register through the separate volunteer registration!
Currently Open Entry Slots
Longsword:
Saber:
Rapier:
After party location tbd
The Cost
The cost of attendance is $40 base registration + $30 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 directors, judges, and table staff. Volunteers will be paid in cash/venmo as a partial refund on their order if they are 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 beforehand 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 volunteer 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.
Tournament Rules
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
Approved Weapons:
The approved lists of all tournament weapons are below. All weapons must be presented at registration and inspected by Hilt and Helm staff. Weapons that are not on the list below will be determined tournament legal on a case by case basis. You may contact the club ahead of time with specific inquiries regarding your weapon and if it will be permitted.
The tournament director has the final say on whether or not a weapon can be used in the competition.
Weapons must be free of burrs, sharp edges, and any feature not deemed safe by the staff.
Longswords: 40lb flex limit. If the flex limit is between 40-45 lb, the equipment staff may mark it with tape to alert directors and judges that the sword is stiffer than 40lb but within an acceptable range
Saber/Rapier: 30lbs flex limit
Approved Weapon Brands
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Albion Meyer
Arms & Armor Fechterspiel
Bloss
Krieger
Comfort Fencing “Dobringer” Feder
Darkwood Armory Feders
Ensifer Feders
Mac Arms Feders
Kvetun Armory
Kut Armory
Chlebowski
Malleus Martialis Swords
Castille
Pavel Moc Feders
Regenyei Feders
Sigi Feders
SGT Blades Feders
VB Feders
Castille Armory Feders
Wuwu
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Arms & Armour
Castille
Bloss
Darkwood
VB
Krieger
Bellatore
Malleus Martialis Swords
Regenyei
Pavel Moc
Kvetun Armory
Sigi
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Bloss
Chlebowski
Krieger
Poker
Kvetun Armory
Castille
Kut Armory
Regenyei
VB
Wuwu
Celeste
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.
Time will usually continue unless the director determines further arbitration is needed.
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 re-initiated.
Scoring
Competitors start with 0 points and can reach a maximum of 10 points.
Head/Torso = 2 Points
Arms/Legs = 1 Point
Clean hits to either earn an extra 1 point!
RAPIER ONLY: Cuts to the body score 1 point. Thrusts and cuts to the Mask/Bib do score 2 points.
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 parries 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.
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.
a quality hit should also not do actual damage to your opponent. Use of excessive force is strictly banned, and directors are encouraged to take a “better safe than scoring” approach to force.
Excessive force will result in at minimum 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.
For more information on warnings and cards, please see the section labelled “Penalty Cards” further down.
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.
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. You also wont get the extra point awarded to clean blows.
Valid Targets
Any quality thrust or cut to the front of a target above the ankle will be considered valid. No strikes to the back of the head or spine 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 (both their set up and their execution) are not permitted. We fence on concrete and hardwood floors and they are not conducive to having people get thrown on them.
Pocket Sand
Expressly forbidden.
Ring out
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.
Penalty Cards
When an action takes place during the tournament that is either disrespectful to others or has the potential to cause serious harm, we use a card based system as a means of warning and penalizing fighters. Each card color represents a different level of severity, and being given 2 cards of the same color automatically escalates the warning to the next level. (for example, 2 yellow cards during a match becomes 1 red card, which means the offending fencer loses that match).
Below are the meanings for each card color, as well as some examples of actions that can result in said card. Please note that this is not a comprehensive list, and ultimately penalty cards are up to the discretion of the director.
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Yellow Card = Warning
Yellow cards don’t transfer from match to match
May be proceeded by a verbal warning at the director’s discretion. (But don’t bank on it!)
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
2 yellow cards for same offense = red card
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Red Card = Serious Rule Violation
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
Throwing your helmet at any point in the match
2 red cards for any offense = black card
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Black Card = Immediate Ejection from the tournament!
Depending on severity of case may also result in future temporary or permanent bans from Hilt & Helm or all Ohio River Valley League (ORVL) events.
Black Card-able offenses
Egregious Red Card-able offenses
Cheating
Harassment or verbal abuse of anyone present
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.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the rules please feel free to message us at hiltandhelm@gmail.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
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General registration is to register for the overall event, and tournament registration is for each individual weapon tournament. This allows you to more easily pick and choose with tournaments you’d like to participate in, and means we don’t double charge you for general registration. There’s more information on both the general registration page and weapon tournament page.
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Anyone over the age of 18 and has at least some former fencing experience. If you have specific questions regarding this policy, please contact the event organizers.
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You have until 11:59 pm on January 15th to request a refund. After that refunds will not be issued unless directly attributed to a medical issue or inclement weather incident. Please email us to request a refund.
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That’s not really a question, but if you have any concerns about any of the rules, feel free to contact us at Hiltandhelm@gmail.com.