Deschapelles coup

The Deschapelles Coup, named after a 19th-century French chess and whist player Alexandre Deschapelles,^[1] is the lead of an unsupported honor to create an entry in partner's hand; often confused with the Merrimac coup, the lead of an unsupported honor to kill an entry in an opponent's hand.

Example

Geir Helgemo executed this Deschapelles Coup in a 1998 tournament.^[2]

Helgemo was East against South's 4♦. West led a small spade, Helgemo put up the ♠Q and South won the ♠A. South then returned a spade to Helgamo's ♠K. Helgemo cashed the ♣A and switched to the ♥K (the coup). Dummy won the ♥A and played the ♦Q to the ♦K, ♦A and ♦J.

Now declarer tried to enter dummy with the ♣K, but Helgemo ruffed, put West in with the ♥Q, and ruffed the club return for down two.

It would not have helped South to duck the ♥K because Helgemo would simply have continued hearts, winding up with a trick in each suit.

And it would not have helped Helgemo to switch to a low heart at trick four. South wins West's ♥Q with the ♥A, leads the ♦Q, covered and won, and then leads another heart to endplay Helgemo.

This is a particularly unusual Deschapelles coup, because it is combined with a Merrimac coup. The same play of the ♥K both establishes an entry for West and takes out an entry to dummy.

References

1. ↑ "Kudos for a Coup and an Inventor", Alan Truscott, New York Times, June 7 1987
2. ↑ Daily Bulletin of the Generali World Masters Championship, 19 April 1998.

External links

• BridgeGuys