1.14 What constitutes a parry?
 
     According to Article 10 of the FIE Rules of Competition, "the 
     parry is the defensive action made with the weapon to prevent the 
     attack from arriving".
 
     A successful parry deflects the threatening blade away from the
     target.  It is not sufficient merely to find or touch the
     opponent's blade;  the fencer must also exhibit control over it.
     If the attack continues without any replacement of the point and
     makes a touch, it retains the right-of-way ("mal-parry" by the
     defender).  If the attacker must replace the point into a
     threatening line before continuing, it is a remise (renewal of the
     attack) and does not have right-of-way over the riposte.

     A well-executed parry should take the foible of the attacker's
     blade with the forte and/or guard of the defender's.  This
     provides the greatest control over the opponent's blade.  In
     other cases the parry can still be seen as sufficient if the
     attacking blade is sufficiently deflected.  In ambiguous cases,
     however, the benefit of the doubt is usually given to the fencer
     who used his forte/guard.  For example, if a fencer attempts to
     parry using his foible on his opponent's forte, it will often be
     interpreted in the reverse sense (eg. counter-time parry by the
     attacker), since such an engagement does not normally result in
     much deflection of the attack.  A foible to foible parry could
     potentially be seen as a beat attack by the opposing fencer
     depending on the specifics of the action.

     At foil, the opponent's blade should not only be deflected away
     from the target, but away from off-target areas as well.  An 
     attack that is deflected off the valid target but onto invalid 
     target still retains right-of-way.
 
     At sabre, the opponent's blade need only be deflected away from
     valid target, since off-target touches do not stop the phrase.
     Cuts are considered parried if their forward movement is stopped
     by a block with the blade or guard.  Otherwise, sabre parries
     must be particularly clean and clear to avoid the possibility of
     whip-over touches.
 
     At epee, a good parry is simply any one that gains enough time
     for the riposte.  Opposition parries and prise-de-fer are commonly 
     used, since they do not release the opponent's blade to allow a 
     remise.