1,6-Enynes bearing OR groups at the propargyl position generate a,b-unsaturated gold(I)-carbenes/ gold(I) stabilized allyl cations that can be trapped by alkenes to form cyclopropanes or 1,3-diketones to give products of a- alkylation. The best migrating group is p-nitrophenyl ether, which leads to the corresponding products without racemi- zation. Thus, an improved formal synthesis of (+)-schisanwil- sonene A has been accomplished. The different competitive reaction pathways have been delineated computationally.