Point of honor

From MiddleWiki

A gesture of chivalry or magnanimity in the lists. Usually a matter of giving up an advantage when one's opponent is disabled by a leg or arm.

There may be circumstances when giving a point of honor is nothing more than throwing away a well-earned advantage or even insulting the opponent by saying, in effect, "I can beat you with one arm behind my back". A well-chosen moment for a point of honor is a pleasure for the participants and spectators in a tournament, while to do it casually or habitually may look foolish. It is also not a compliment for a combatant to give a point of honor to an opponent who far outclasses him. It is not uncommon for such an opponent to urge the would-be giver of a point of honor to retain his advantage, perhaps because it was well-earned. A point of honor should be a graceful compliment, not a gesture of condescension or arrogance. Some combatants nevertheless feel that to give the point of honor frequently, or even always, is a suitable courtesy in the lists, and are very obviously not condescending.