IMPOSSIBLE DEFENCE

by Aleksander Wagner

 You are East and your hand is: K9, AQ85, KJ, QJ1052. After you opened 1C the opponents reached 4S after the following bidding: 
  N       E       S       W
 ---------------------------
  p       1C      1S      p
  2D      p       2S      p
  3S      p       4S      p
  p       p
Your partner's leads the 7 of clubs and the dummy is: Q853, KJ10, A8752, 9. You put the 10, South takes with the King and finesses hearts. You take with the Queen and play the club Queen. He takes with the Ace, ruffs the third club and plays one of the hearts from the dummy. You take with the Ace and of course return another heart. Finally he plays the smallest spade from the dummy. If you are a pro, you know by now that the declarer's distribution is 5323, and you must have considered his hand. It should be one of these:
(1) Axxxx, xxx, xx, AKx,
(2) AJxxx, xxx, Qx, AKx,
(3) AJxxx, xxx, Qx, AKx,
(4) A10xxx, xxx, Qx, AKx.
 The first one looks quite improbable, since he tried for the game with a balanced hand despite the fact that his partner didn't open the bidding. If he's got the second or third, it's irrelevant what you put now, he makes the contract anyhow losing two hearts and a diamond. That's why you MUST play the King of spades, and fast! Look at the last hand: if you don't, he will take the Ace and play another spade, and you'll have to give him the missing trick either by playing a diamond, or giving him a ruff and a discard of one of his two diamonds. But if he sees the King he knows that he's got a certain spade loser anyway, so if he's got any brains at all he will let you take the trick and proudly open his hand, having end-played you for the tenth trick! Can you imagine his amazement when you smile and put your second spade on the table?
 This hand was played in the National Championship finals, and the full distribution was: 
               Q853
               KJ10
               A8752
               9
  J6                         K9
  962            N           AQ85
  10643        W   E         KJ
  8764           S           QJ1052

               A10742
               743
               Q9
               AK3
 East didn't put the King, and neither player saw this play even after the deal was over.
Was it really impossible, or maybe, just maybe, even the most accomplished players not always take their time to think over the situations that seem lost anyway?