A typical swordfight

Swordfighting (often abbreviated as sf) is a multiplayer puzzle. The puzzle can be played in many different settings. It is available from the tournament board or as a parlor game. (When played with more than two people, the swordfight is known as a brawl.) Players can challenge NPPs or other players to a swordfight. In addition, the final phase of a sea battle against Brigands is a swordfight.

Controls

Though controls can be customized under the options screen, the default controls are as follows:

Left and Right arrows - move left and right
Up and Down arrows - rotate counter-clockwise and clockwise
Space - drops quickly
A and S - switches opponent up/down

Gameplay

There are two different types of pieces: solid blocks and cutout "breakers" that cause connecting solid blocks or cutouts to shatter. There are also four colors: red, green, yellow, and blue. Each of these colors has a distinct shape and a recognizable outline. You will also see grey blocks throughout the course of a swordfight as your opponent breaks his or her blocks. On ships, you may also see solid black blocks (if your ship has taken damage) or jug-shaped blocks (if your ship is out of rum).

Sword pieces fall from the top of the screen. Breakers will shatter all connecting pieces of the same color and send an attack proportional to the size of the shatter to your opponent. These attacks are described in detail below.

The art of swordfighting comes in the ability to fill your opponent's screen with your attacks faster than he or she fills up your screen.

Achieving the Greatest Breaks

A uncomboed 2x2 block becomes a 1x4 vertical sword. This is one exception to the rule that the swords are the same size and shape as the blocks that caused them. Other exceptions include 3x3 and any piece where both the width and the height are 4 or greater.

Pieces of the same color in blocks solidify into a large block if they are arranged in a 2 x 2 or greater rectangular formation. When broken, vertical blocks send vertical swords to your opponent; horizontal blocks send horizontal swords (which can be difficult to overcome if well-placed).

These swords appears as an immovable image of a sword for one turn. They become a mass of grey blocks the next turn. And fall down where possible. On the third turn, those grey blocks will show a sword image (like regular pieces but without the color). Finally the grey blocks turn into regular pieces on the fourth turn.

Minor Breaks (Sprinkles)

When you shatter pieces that were not part of a larger block, they become single grey blocks that fall on your opponent. These, too, can be devastating if placed correctly. Without using a chain, you create one sprinkle block for every two loose blocks shattered. Breakers count as loose blocks.

Chaining

The most devastating breaks come from chains. When a block is broken, the pieces above it fall onto the pieces below. Being able to make double, triple, bingo, donkey, vegas, or greater chains, will multiply your attacks.

How Breaks Strike Opponents

Note: Strikes against NPPs do not follow these rules.

To learn more about how strikes affect opponents, read the excellent forum posts by Tedv, Robertdonald, and Jack in the External Links section below.

Historical Notes

In the original version of the sea battle swordfight, a maximum of 10 rows of black blocks could be achieved (if a ship had become fully damaged). This was lowered to 6 rows in Beta release 2003-11-22. The amount of black blocks a cannonball added was not changed, just that the maximum damage level for swordfighting was lowered.
Rum bottles in the sea battle swordfight in release 2005-04-26. Previously if a ship was out of rum, there was no penalty in swordfights.