In
fencing, a
black card is the harshest possible penalty for breaking a serious rule. It calls for the fencer to automatically withdraw from not only the current match, but the entire competition.
For certain offenses, a
red card is given on the first instance and a
black card is reserved for the second. The most serious offenses, though, carry with them the penalty of a
black card on the very first offense.
The most common things a fencer could do to earn a
black card include
unsportsmanlike conduct, deliberate
brutality, and outright
cheating.
See the
Fencing Penalty Chart for more info.