Study 9P65 Main

Trump Coup & Endplay

by Richard Pavlicek

A trump coup operates like a trump finesse, except a plain suit is led, and the finesse is achieved by an overruff. A trump endplay simply forces an opponent to lead the trump suit for you. The two techniques are closely related, as both attempt to gain a trick in the trump suit itself. Also included here is the smother play and its variations.

1.  Trump reduction and endplay

win 3/4	A J 10 5		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
auto	—		1. S	2!	4	5	3
	—		2. N	J!	Q	2	5
	—
—		K Q 9
7 6 5 4		3
—		—
—		—
	4 3 2
	2
	—
South leads	—

Most trump endings require reduction prior.

2.  Forced ruff trump endplay

win 2/3	A Q		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
auto bi	—		1. S	2!	3	2!	4
	2
	—
—		K J 4
4 3		—
3		—
—		—
	3 2
	2
	—
South leads	—

3.  High ruff endplay or control retention

win 3/4	A K J		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
auto? bi?	A		1. S	4	K	K!
	—
	—
—		Q 10 9
3 2		—
A K		—
—		A
	—
	—
	7 6 5 4
South leads	—

4.  Underruff trump endplay

win 2/3	A 3 2		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
auto	—		1. S	2	9	2!	3
	—
	—
K J 9		5 4
—		3
—		—
—		—
	Q 10
	2
	—
South leads	—

5.  Basic trump coup

win all	A Q		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
	—		1. S	2	J	Q
	—
	—
K J		—
—		5 4
—		—
—		—
	—
	3 2
	—
South leads	—

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6.  Trump reduction and coup

win all	A Q 2		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
	—		1. S	A	2	2!	3
	2		2. N	2	5	A	3
	—
K J		—
2		4 3
3		6 5
—		—
	—
	A K
	A 4
South leads	—

7.  Surplus winner trump coup

win all	A Q		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
	—		1. S	A!	2	2	4
	2		2. S	A	J	Q
	—
K J		—
—		—
—		6 5 4
2		—
	—
	A
	A 3
South leads	—

8.  Underruff trump coup

win 3/4	A J 9		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
	—		1. S	A!	K	9!	2
	3		2. W	A	3	4	3
	—
K Q 10		—
—		3 2
—		5 4
A		—
	3
	A
	A 2
South leads	—

9.  Underruff overruff trump coup

win 3/4	A J 9 2		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
	—		1. S	3	Q	9!	4
	—		2. W	3	2	2	4
	—			Win the rest
K Q 10		—
—		6 5 4
3		2
—		—
	4 3
	3 2
	—
South leads	—

10.  Repeat underruff trump coup

win 4/5	4 3		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
bi	A		1. W	8	3	2	2!
	—		2. N	A!	K	9!	4
	A 3		3. E	3	2	5	4
—		K Q 10
—		—
8 7 6 5 4		3 2
—		—
	A J 9 2
	—
	—
West leads	2

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11.  Repeat trump coup

win all	A J 9 2		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
	—		1. S	2	7	9	5
	—		2. N	2	2	K	8
	—
Q 10 8 7		—
—		6 5
—		3 2
—		—
	K
	4 3 2
	—
South leads	—

12.  Crossruff repeat trump coup

win all	A J 9		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
	—		1. S	2!	7	9	5
	2		2. N	2	3	K	8
	—
Q 10 8 7		—
—		6 5
—		4 3
—		—
	K
	4 3 2
	—
South leads	—

13.  Squeeze trump coup

win all	A Q 2		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
	J 4		1. S	K	Q	2!	10
	—		2. N	4	2	A	K
	—		3. S	A
K J		—
K Q		3 2
—		Q J 10
2		—
	—
	A
	A K 3 2
South leads	—

If West pitches a club, North pitches heart.

14.  Smother endplay

win 2/3	A		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
bi	4 3		1. S	2!	2	3	A
	—		2. E	4	J
	—
K 10		—
—		A
2		4 3
—		—
	Q J
	2
	—
South leads	—

15.  Trump coup and smother

win 3/4	K 9 3		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
	—		1. S	2!	6	9	3
	2		2. N	3!	A	2	7
	—
Q 8 7 6		A
—		5 4 3
—		—
—		—
	J 10 2
	2
	—
South leads	—

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16.  Smother trump coup or crossruff

win 4/5	Q 9		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
bi	—		1. S	2!	A	3	2
	5 4 3		2. W	6	9!	6	A
	—		3. N	Q!
—		K 8 7 6
6 5 4 3		2
A		—
—		—
	A J 10
	—
	2
South leads	A

17.  Loser-on-loser smother

win 2/4	J 10 2		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
auto	—		1. S	2!	A	3!	A
	3		2. W	4	J!
	—
—		A Q 8
A		—
—		A
4 3 2		—
	K 9
	2
	2
South leads	—

Auto case produces trump endplay instead.

18.  Overruff crossruff finesse

win all	A 9		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
	—		1. S	2!	Q	A	A
	2
	—
Q 8 7		J 6
—		A
—		—
—		—
	K 10
	2
	—
South leads	—

19.  Extended overruff crossruff finesse

win all	A K 7		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
	—		1. S	2!	10	K	A
	2		2. N	2	9	Q	A
	—
J 10 4		9 6 5
—		A
A		—
—		—
	Q 8
	3 2
	—
South leads	—

20.  Transfer smother or elopement

win 4/5	A 10 3		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
auto? bi?	—		1. S	Q!	K	A	4
	—		2. N	A	2	2	3
	A 4		3. N	3!	J	2	5
K 9 6 5		J 4
—		3 2
—		—
3		2
	Q 8 7 2
	—
	2
South leads	—

If Q wins, cross to A, ruff club and lead 2.

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21.  High ruff and smother

win 3/4	K J 10		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
auto	4		1. S	2	3	K!	5
	—		2. N	4!	2	2	A
	—
—		Q 9
A		5
5 4 3		—
—		2
	A
	3 2
	2
South leads	—

Auto case trivial with plain diamond ruff.

22.  Elopement trump endplay

win 4/5	A 7 6		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
	3		1. S	2!	4	6	A
	2		2. N	2!	5	5	A
	—		3. S	2!
K 8		J 9
K 4		A 5
A		—
—		A
	Q 10 5
	2
	—
South leads	2

If either ruffs, discard and pick up trumps.

23.  Extended trump endplay

win 4/5	Q J 9 4 3		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
	—		1. S	2!	4	J	5
	—		2. N	3	6	8	2
	—		3. S	3	5	Q!
—		A 10 7 6 5
6 5 4		—
3 2		—
—		—
	K 8 2
	3 2
	—
South leads	—

Curiously fails in auto case with trumps onside.

24.  Forced ruff repeat trump endplay

win 3/5	A Q 10		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
auto bi	5 4		1. S	2!	Q	4	7
	—		2. E	8	2	2	10
	—		3. N	5!
—		K J 9 8 7
A K Q		—
3 2		—
—		—
	4 3 2
	3 2
	—
South leads	—

25.  Underruff reduction trump endplay

win 3/5	10 2		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
auto bi	A K		1. W	2	A	J	3!
	2		2. E	4	4	3	2
	—		3. S	2!
K Q 9		J
2		—
3		7 6 5 4
—		—
	A 5 4 3
	—
	—
West leads	2

Auto/bi cases trivial (no J uppercut).

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Anti trump coup and endplay

26.  Underruff anti trump endplay

win 2/4	—		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
bi	5 4		1. W	2	4	K	9!
	A 6
	—
—		A K J
3 2		—
4 3		5
—		—
	Q 10 9
	—
	2
West leads	—

27.  Underruff anti crossruff endplay

win 2/4	—		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
bi	6 5 4		1. W	2	4	K	7!
	3		2. E	2	8
	—
Q 4		K J 9
3 2		—
—		2
—		—
	A 10 8 7
	—
	—
West leads	—

28.  Ruff refusal anti trump coup

win 1/3	K J		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
auto bi	—		1. W	A	A!	2	2
	A
	—
—		A Q 2
A		—
4 3		—
—		—
	—
	3 2
	2
West leads	—

Auto/bi cases trivial.

29.  Ruff delay anti trump coup

win 1/4	K J 2		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
auto bi	—		1. W	A	4!	6	2
	4		2. W	4	2
	—
—		A Q 10
A 4		—
A 5		6
—		—
	—
	3 2
	3 2
West leads	—

Auto/bi cases trivial.

30.  Reduction non-assist anti trump coup

win 1/4	K J		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
auto bi	4		1. S	3!	A	4	5
	4		2. W	K	4!
	—
—		A Q 2
3 2		—
A K		5
—		—
	—
	A K
	3 2
South leads	—

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31.  Reduction non-assist anti trump endplay

win 2/5	—		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
bi	4 3		1. S	2!	A	3	5
	2		2. W	K	4	3	2
	6 5		3. S	4
—		A Q J
A K		5
A 5 4		3
—		—
	K 3 2
	2
	—
South leads	4

32.  Unblock anti smother

win 2/4	K 10		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
auto bi	J 3		1. W	4	3	A	Q!
	—
	—
Q J		A
5 4		A 9 8
—		—
—		—
	—
	Q 2
	3 2
West leads	—

33.  Winner ruff anti smother

win 2/5	—		Trick	Lead	2nd	3rd	4th
bi	A		1. W	3	A	2	2!
	5 4 3 2		2. S	3!	J	2	8
	—
A J		K 10 9 8
5 4 3		2
—		—
—		—
	Q 4 3 2
	—
	6
West leads	—

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© 2014 Richard Pavlicek