The Crocodile Coup is a play in the game

contract bridge Contract bridge, or simply bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard 52-card deck. In its basic format, it is played by four players in two competing partnerships, with partners sitting opposite each other around a table. Millions ...

. It is executed by the defense: specifically by the second hand to play to a

trick Trick(s) may refer to: People * Trick McSorley (1852–1936), American professional baseball player * Armon Trick (born 1978), retired German international rugby union player * David Trick (born 1955), former Ontario civil servant and universi ...

. It is the play of a higher card than might seem necessary, to keep a run of honors from being blocked by a singleton honor being in the other hand with either no entry back to the remaining tricks, or having to return the lead to declarer who can promptly dispose of his losers. In the following example,West was Augie Boehm. The hand was played in New York in 1980 and reported in the July 1, 1990 issue of

the New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

. West executes the Crocodile Coup: With spades trump, South hopes to win four of the remaining five tricks. South leads the 4. Now: If the East-West hands were reversed, it would take no special acumen for East to overtake West's K and cash the Q.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crocodile Coup Contract bridge coups