Bath coup
Encyclopedia
Bath coup is a coup
in the game of contract bridge
, where the declarer, holding AJx in a suit ducks
the left-hand opponent's lead of a king (or a queen). The coup is named after the city of Bath in England
and dates from the game of Whist
, the predecessor of Bridge.
The purpose of the Bath coup is to either gain a trick by means of a free finesse if the suit is continued, or to gain a tempo
, because the suit may not be continued by opponents without the loss of a trick. The basic position for the bath coup is like on the diagram:
West leads the king at a notrump contract. If South takes the trick immediately, his jack can be subsequently finessed if East gains a later trick, providing four tricks in the suit for the defense. However, if South applies the Bath coup by ducking, he will either take two tricks with AJ, or the opponents would have to regain the lead twice to cash the suit—first, East must gain the lead in order to finesse through declarer's AJ, and later, West must regain the lead to cash the suit. If the suit is divided 5-2, as in the diagram, the declarer has in effect performed a hold up with an additional gain in tempo, as the opponents have to regain the lead once each. If the suit were divided 4-3, the last lead could be gained by any opponent to cash the suit, but the number of available tricks would be smaller.
The coup also occurs when ace and jack are split, but the jack lies before KQ.
. The most common signaling method on partner's lead is encouraging/discouraging (high card/low card respectively). In the examples above, East would play the six (the lowest), indicating that he doesn't have the jack. However, there are situations when West may misread the signal. To overcome the situation, some players agree that throwing away the jack is mandatory when a King is lead at a notrump contract; yet others play that only the lead of the queen requires the partner to drop the Jack if he has it.
However, when a Bath coup position arises, defenders can't regain the tempo. What they can do, though, is to utilize the order of their entries correctly, as in the following deal:
West leads K against 3NT, South executes the Bath coup by ducking, and West must switch. If he plays a red suit, declarer will play on hearts (of course, he will have to guess the position correctly). When West takes his ace, he still cannot continue spades, and the declarer will have time to develop a club trick as his ninth (along with four heart tricks, A, and three diamonds). However, if West plays a club, the declarer is doomed: East will take his A and play a spade through, while West still has the A as an entry to good spades.
Coup (bridge)
In contract bridge, coup is a generic name for various techniques in play, denoting a specific pattern in the lie and the play of cards; it is a special play maneuver by declarer.There are various types of coup which can be effected.- Pure Coups :...
in the game of contract bridge
Contract bridge
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
, where the declarer, holding AJx in a suit ducks
Duck (bridge)
In the card game of contract bridge, to duck means to play low to a trick to which one has lead, losing it intentionally in order to set up a suit or to preserve a control or entry. While mechanically identical, a duck is a manoeuver in one's own suit, while a hold up is in a suit played by the...
the left-hand opponent's lead of a king (or a queen). The coup is named after the city of Bath in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and dates from the game of Whist
Whist
Whist is a classic English trick-taking card game which was played widely in the 18th and 19th centuries. It derives from the 16th century game of Trump or Ruff, via Ruff and Honours...
, the predecessor of Bridge.
The purpose of the Bath coup is to either gain a trick by means of a free finesse if the suit is continued, or to gain a tempo
Tempo (bridge)
In the card game of bridge, tempo refers to the advantage of being on lead, thus having the initiative of developing tricks for one's side.According to the rules of the game, the right to select the first card to play belongs to the defenders; afterwards, the right to lead belongs to the hand who...
, because the suit may not be continued by opponents without the loss of a trick. The basic position for the bath coup is like on the diagram:
West leads the king at a notrump contract. If South takes the trick immediately, his jack can be subsequently finessed if East gains a later trick, providing four tricks in the suit for the defense. However, if South applies the Bath coup by ducking, he will either take two tricks with AJ, or the opponents would have to regain the lead twice to cash the suit—first, East must gain the lead in order to finesse through declarer's AJ, and later, West must regain the lead to cash the suit. If the suit is divided 5-2, as in the diagram, the declarer has in effect performed a hold up with an additional gain in tempo, as the opponents have to regain the lead once each. If the suit were divided 4-3, the last lead could be gained by any opponent to cash the suit, but the number of available tricks would be smaller.
The coup also occurs when ace and jack are split, but the jack lies before KQ.
Defense
The defense can relatively easily prevent giving away the trick by free finesse by accurate signalingSignal (bridge)
In the card game of contract bridge, partners defending against a contract may play particular cards in a manner which gives a signal or coded meaning to guide their subsequent card play; also referred to as carding.-Standard signals:...
. The most common signaling method on partner's lead is encouraging/discouraging (high card/low card respectively). In the examples above, East would play the six (the lowest), indicating that he doesn't have the jack. However, there are situations when West may misread the signal. To overcome the situation, some players agree that throwing away the jack is mandatory when a King is lead at a notrump contract; yet others play that only the lead of the queen requires the partner to drop the Jack if he has it.
However, when a Bath coup position arises, defenders can't regain the tempo. What they can do, though, is to utilize the order of their entries correctly, as in the following deal:
West leads K against 3NT, South executes the Bath coup by ducking, and West must switch. If he plays a red suit, declarer will play on hearts (of course, he will have to guess the position correctly). When West takes his ace, he still cannot continue spades, and the declarer will have time to develop a club trick as his ninth (along with four heart tricks, A, and three diamonds). However, if West plays a club, the declarer is doomed: East will take his A and play a spade through, while West still has the A as an entry to good spades.