BATH COUP
The Bath Coup is as old as the game of Whist, which was very popular in England, and the name may be derived from city of Bath, which was once a favorite meeting place of the aristocracy. The coup is simply a hold-up of the Ace of any suit when the Jack of that suit is also in the control of the declarer. The following two examples, which are the classic examples for illustrating the Bath Coup, explain the reasoning. Every bridge player, at one time or another, has applied the Bath Coup, but may not have been aware that it actually has a name.
The player sitting West leads the King of any suit against the declarer, who holds the Ace and the Jack. Declarer realizes that West also has the Queen. In order to get two tricks in this suit, the Declarer will hold up once, waiting for West to lead the Queen. Declarer then gets two tricks.
As with the example above, the same principle applies when the Ace and the Jack of the same suit are not in the same hand.
If you wish to include this feature, or any other feature, of the game of bridge in your partnership agreement, then please make certain that the concept is understood by both partners. Be aware whether or not the feature is alertable or not and whether an announcement should or must be made. Check with the governing body and/or the bridge district and/or the bridge unit prior to the game to establish the guidelines applied. Please include the particular feature on your convention card in order that your opponents are also aware of this feature during the bidding process, since this information must be made known to them according to the Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge. We do not always include the procedure regarding Alerts and/or Announcements, since these regulations are changed and revised during time by the governing body. It is our intention only to present the information as concisely and as accurately as possible.
|
|
|
Claus and Raymond |
Conventions |
Bridge Sites |
|
|
|
Home Page I |
Glossary |
Home Page II |
