[twcho]

Scoring: IMP

W N E S
- - - 1♣
1♥ P 2♥ 3♦
3♥ Dbl P 3NT
All pass

---

This hand being played in 32 tables in round 8 of the European Team Champion. 10 tables 3NT by South and one table 1NT by South.

Out of these 11 tables, every west lead a small ♥ except Versace who led ♥A and continue with small ♥ thus defeating the contract by two tricks. Every other table makes with ease.

How can Versace deduce to find such a devastating killing lead? Is that the bidding suggest the lead or only because he is on his own class?

It will be inspiring if we can learn something from the Great.

Tommy

[cherdano]

Hmm, why did you give us the full hand immediately?

Anyway, I think on this bidding (assuming 1C was artificial) the ♥A lead is pretty clear. If partner has Kxx it doesn't matter. If he has xxx or Jxx with hearts 2-2 it doesn't matter. If there is a singleton J or K it wins. Only case where it loses is if partner has Jxx, declarer Kxx, and partner has the only entry for us. But that is unlikely looking at the ♦Kx in declarer's suit.

Maybe at the other tables West didn't get a heart raise from partner (or never bid the suit after a 1N opening), then it is not so clear.

Arend

[Free]

I've noticed that leading from a 6 card headed by AQT or AQ9, it's usually better to lead a honour because most of the time there's Jx or J or K in one hand which gets caught. In this hand I'd prefer the Q, since partner supported ♥s. But it also depends on your agreements: if the Q tells something wrong to partner, you don't want to do it...

[Gpm_bg]

Maybe he lead honour becouse on 3♥ and 3NT bids no double from partner, which could mean only fit support , no high honour and additional control for back ♥.
Normal lead as previous people said, leading from honour is good to can catch second K or J in dummy or in declarer

[whereagles]

After seeing all 4 hands it's easy to say why

Versace has most of the hcp, and an almost sure entry in the ♦K. He can therefore afford to blow a trick on the lead. What he cannot afford is to let declarer take a cheap heart trick and then have no way to get pard in for crossing a heart to his AQ.

What is amazing is that he thought all of this just looking at his hand and the auction. He did risk look silly if declarer had ♥KJx, but in that case the contract probably makes anyway.

[Gpm_bg]

That's why Versace play that kind of games, and for us ( like kibitzers ) what is left is "smart analyses".
Anyway we can learn and remember some of that kind famous players games. Noone is born already educated, but not certainly anyone can be educated.

[hotShot]

East raised 1♥ to 2♥ so he should hold 3♥'s (we would not want him to block the suit!) and a few HCP. That leaves 4 cards to opps. South bid 3NT, so south should have a ♥ stopper and that's not the J. East sits in front of the strong hand and is weak, how often can you expect him to play the ♥ finesse.
So we want partner to get rid of JT so the suit is not blocked, and we want declarer to use his stopper to make ♥ a source of tricks while we have an entry left. At last we want to minimise the chance of opps taking 2 tricks with KJ.
Playing A followed by x, only loses to KJx in declarers hand.

[kenrexford]

Interesting hand. The lead of the Ace from a six-card heart suit headed by the AQ, which lets partner jettison an honor or give count, and also allows proper smothering of the King, Jack, or 10, as needed.

Note, also, that the lead of the Ace allows a switch of tactics in time in case Advancer neglected to mention a strong minor holding in clubs for some reason. On this actual hand, Versace can switch to a club if needed at trick two, perhaps because Declarer actually holds KJx. If partner held KQJ8, a doubleton heart, and Declarer KJx, the club switch would either establish three clubs, a diamond entry and the heart Ace (if Declarer wins round one), or would enable an entry if Declarer ducks to return a heart.

Thus, the heart Ace lead gains TEMPO and enables flexibility in choosing between hearts and clubs, and which heart, at trick two.

This sounds familiar for some reason, but very interesting.

[MartininBC]

Interesting ... once you have decided to lead a heart honour, would not the Q be best? The KH can't be singleton on the bidding but JH might ... and QH instead of AH gives you some extra outs if declarer has KJx (by reaching partner's hand).

[the hog]

You have a likely entry in Ds. The HA makes perfect sense, as you can continue with the HQ to smother a possible JT in dummy. Whether I would find this at the table in the heat of the battle is another story. Actually, I like to think that I would!

[Free]

When leading the Q you can also smother JT in dummy by continuing ♥A...

Leading the Q makes 2 hands dangerous, while leading the Ace may reduce this to only 1.

[whereagles]

Actually, this lead reminds me of something. Garozzo used to lead unsupported aces against 3NT more often than most. That might be where Versace got his inspiration from.