seven-step totalsynthesis of the original scaffold of cytotoxic dirchromones involving an unprecedented soft-enolization Baker–Venkataramanrearrangement was designed. The methodology enabled access to naturally occurring dirchromone 1 (21% overall yield) at gram-scale, which was screened for cytotoxicity against 13 cancer cell lines. The scope of the soft-enolization Baker–Venkataramanrearrangement encompasses