How are preliminary pools organized in fencing competitions?

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1992 Olympics women's foil event — fencing Giovanna Trillini (rear) of Italy successfully defending her world champion foil title against Wang Huifeng of China at the 1992 Olympics.

In fencing, preliminary rounds, known as pools, are organized to determine the seeding for subsequent direct elimination rounds.1

The structure of these pools includes the following standards:

Group Size: Competitors are divided into small groups consisting of six or seven fencers.1
Format: Fencers compete in a round-robin style, meaning each participant in the pool fences against every other member of that group.1
Bout Rules: Each bout is limited to five touches with a maximum duration of three minutes of active fencing time.1

Following the conclusion of the pools, fencers advance to a direct elimination bracket, where their seeding is based directly on their performance during the preliminary round.1