Bridge

I N 1898, the American coal-carrying ship Merrimac was deliberately sunk in Santiago Harbour to bottle up the Spanish fleet. At the bridge table, a Merrimac Coup is the deliberate sacrifice of a high card to disrupt communications —classically to remove a crucial dummy entry prematurely.

Our first deal comes from the online site Okbridge.

Not fancying partner’s Clubs after South’s One Notrump overcall implying stopper(s), especially holding just a singleton, West looked elsewhere for his opening lead. North hadn’t investigated for a major-suit via Stayman or Transfers, so he chose a major, his stronger. He led the two of Hearts. East won the Ace and started thinking.

Partner held precisely four Hearts —having led the two—so Hearts alone wouldn’t beat the game (even if West’s Hearts were very good, for example, King-queen-low-low).

The reality was Three Notrumps would make unless the defence could prevent dummy’s Diamonds from running. He would have to hope his partner held Ace-low-low-(low) or Queen-low-low-low of Diamonds and he’d have to dislodge dummy’s precious Ace of Spades entry.

At trick two, East found the brilliant switch to King of Spades, the Merrimac Coup, the only card to give the defence a chance. It appears this scuppers the Spanish fleet (in Merrimac terms), but watch declarer, Hoosam Ngem, prevail.

Declarer ducked the King of Spades and won the second Spade with his Queen. Declarer led the Queen of Diamonds in the vain hope the Ace would be bare. West ducked and East showed out. Declarer stopped to think. Aha—he concocted a cunning plan.

Declarer cashed the King-queen of Hearts and Ace-king of Clubs (West discarding a Diamond). Only then did he lead his second Diamond. West won the Ace and cashed his ten of Hearts, but his remaining cards were Spades and Diamonds, giving declarer access to the stranded dummy. Game made.

Finding an entry-killing Merrimac play is tough enough after seeing dummy.

On our second deal, West, Marshall Lewis of Croatia found one before dummy was tabled.

With declarer having shown Spade stopper(s) for his jump to Three Notrumps, it looked right for West to lead a Heart. He held the Ace of dummy’s Clubs and, if dummy’s side entry was the Ace of Hearts, he could dislodge it, duck his Ace of Clubs and shut declarer from dummy. West plonked the King of Hearts on the table— the only lead to defeat the game.

Declarer won dummy’s Ace and led the King of Clubs, hoping in vain the defence would win their Ace. West ducked. Declarer followed with a Diamond to the Knave, hoping it would lose to the King and the Queen of Diamonds would be the crucial dummy entry. The Knave won.

West won declarer’s next play of the Knave of Clubs with his Ace and led a low Heart to East’s ten. Declarer won the Queen, cashed the Ace of Diamonds (West throwing a Spade) and exited with a third Heart (what else?). West scored the nine and Knave of Hearts and exited with the ten of Spades. Declarer won, cashed the Ace of Spades and conceded.

Down two (exiting with a low Spade in the four-card ending would have generated another trick, as whichever opponent who wins that trick is endplayed).