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Defending And Declaring A Trump Coup

A "coup" in politics is when your government is overthrown by a military force. Coups in bridge are much more pleasant. My Webster's defines a coup as: "literally, a stroke or blow; hence, a brilliant sudden stroke; an unexpected device or strategem."

That's quite a nice definition. In bridge, a trump coup is a strategem to deal with the situation you may well have faced in which a finessable trump honor is onside, yet you cannot pick it up completely, for you don't have sufficient trump in dummy to repeat the finesse enough times (usually the trump split is worse than expected).

Trump coups aren't really so brilliant. They are quite within the reach of the non-expert. Follow these two principles: one, you must ruff yourself down to the same trump length as the defender with the honor, and then two, near the end of the hand, you must be in the hand opposite your long trumps (since usually your long-trump hand is the closed hand, you need to end up in dummy) -- then lead any plain-suit card to effect the trump coup.

One way to look at the concept is that this plain-suit card acts as a surrogate trump, allowing you to complete the finesse. The following hand was played by me at a recent regional tournament in Saratoga Springs, New York. It's not a brilliant hand -- as I said, trump coups generally aren't -- but a most instructive one from the point of view of both declarer and defense: as if taken from a textbook, this particular hand turned out to be rather "streamlined" with no distracting complications in the side-suits.

N-S vul S dealer WEST NORTH 3   A 9 7 3   A 4 3 2   9 8 7 3   EAST 5   K Q 10   K 10 9 5   A K Q J 4   SOUTH Q 8 4 2   J 8 4   Q J 7 6   6 2   A K J 10 9 7 6   6 5 2   8   10 5

As South, I opened 3S. West doubled, and East decided to leave it in, certainly a reasonable choice although as the cards lay 3 NT would no doubt have come home as I would probably have led a high spade honor. My partner gave me a terrific dummy. If the spade finesse worked, I would have my 7 trump tricks plus the two red aces to fulfill my contract.

WEST NORTH 3   A 9 7 3   A 4 3 2   9 8 7 3   EAST 5   K Q 10   K 10 9 5   A K Q J 4   SOUTH Q 8 4 2   J 8 4   Q J 7 6   6 2   A K J 10 9 7 6   6 5 2   8   10 5

West began with high clubs. I ruffed the third round, crossed to dummy with the A of diamonds and took the trump finesse. Good news and bad news. The queen was onside, but when I next plunked down the A of spades, West showed out. It now appeared my 9 tricks were only 8, and as down 1 doubled and vulnerable, -200, would lose to those who did not bid game with the E-W cards or who went down, I needed to figure out a way to make this. I needed a trump coup.

WEST NORTH ---   A 9 7 3   4 3   9   EAST ---   K Q 10   K 10 9   J   SOUTH Q 8   J 8 4   Q J 7   ---   K 10 9 7   6 5 2   ---   ---

To left is the position I was now facing. Applying the two principles mentioned above, I realized East had started with 4 trump, myself with 7. I had to shorten myself by ruffing three times, plus end up in dummy at the end to pull off this trump coup. Could I do this? Clearly, no. I only had one entry left to dummy, the Ace of hearts. I had ruffed once earlier in the play, and I could use the heart ace to ruff a second time, but I would still have one excess trump (remember, the original difference between us was three). But I had a brainstorm: perhaps the defense would shorten my trump for me. So I simply ducked a heart in both hands!

WEST NORTH ---   A 9 7 3   4 3   9   EAST ---   K Q 10   K 10 9   J   SOUTH Q 8   J 8 4   Q J   ---   K 10 9 7   6 5 2   ---   ---

West put up the 10 as I led a heart to dummy and East let him hold the trick. West naturally "got out safely" with another club and now I was home. I trumped the club return, led to the Ace of hearts, and trumped a diamond in hand. Note that I have now succeeded in bringing myself down to the same number of trump as East. I can't get to dummy to lead through East at trick twelve, but it doesn't matter -- again, we'll enlist the defenders' help for what we can't do ourselves. Here is the position with three cards to go:

WEST NORTH ---   9 7   4   ---   EAST ---   K   K 10   ---   SOUTH Q 8   J   ---   ---   K 10   6   ---   ---

Obviously all I have to do is exit with my last heart. West must win and the lead comes around to my spade tenace and I land 3 Spades, doubled. However, East denies me complete pleasure as when I lead the last heart at trick eleven, East throws his cards down in disgust and starts berating his partner. "How could you lead another club, just lead another heart, you know he's trying to trump coup me!" He's right, but as is so often the case, it was the person who exploded in rage at his partner who was really more to blame for the poor end result. It was East who knew there was a danger he might get trump couped -- why let partner possibly blow it when you can take control and steer the ship?

WEST NORTH ---   A 9 7 3   4 3   9   EAST ---   K Q 10   K 10 9   J   SOUTH Q 8   J 8 4   Q J   ---   K 10 9 7   6 5 2   ---   ---

Let's go back to the position when I ducked a heart in both hands: When I play to the board and West puts up the 10, East should know that West is marked with KQ10 of hearts. Therefore, it is clear to overtake West's 10 with the J and return a heart. The key is to only play on suits of dummy's entries. Now I cannot ruff myself down to parity with East's trumps and I will end up being end-played because I have too many trump. Let's follow the play. After East overtakes and returns a heart, I ruff a diamond in hand and exit a heart in this position:

WEST NORTH ---   9 7   4   9   EAST ---   K   K 10   J   SOUTH Q 8   J   Q   ---   K 10 9   6   ---   ---

As you can see, the timing's off. The defense wins the heart exit and plays anything; I have to win in hand and must lead from my K10 of trump to East's Q8 at the finish. I would have been down one, losing two clubs, two hearts, and the trump queen at trick 13.