Jansma on Pairs play

The following deal is another example that imps, in comparison to pairs, is a completely different ball game.

Playing a pairs tournament you (SOUTH) own this:

1064 KQ83 K76 1075

On third seat LHO opens 1, partner calls 2, vuln against not, and RHO passes. To my opinion only one bid is applicable here. A pass with a vulnerable partner is out of the question, as well as 3 or an unlikely 3. No, the obvious bid here is 2NT.

However, the meaning of this 2NT would have been dramatically different when you would be playing imps, where 2NT is just a good old invitational bid to 3NT.
Playing pairs 2NT is a proposal for ... 2NT. Playing in the right suit pays off more than enough most of the times: +120 or a 'magic' +150 will do just fine in big pair tournaments. Interesting enough, 2NT minus one will be no disaster as well.
Also when your non-vulnerable partner comes in with a light 2C overcall, a 2NT response is even more imperative. They may enjoy playing you two light and realise, after the session is over, that 110 for them was on.

Okay, let's go back to our hand. All the above intelligent reasoning was pearls before swine to your partner who of course puts you merciless in 3NT. So:

West	North	East	South
		pass	pass
1	2	pass	2NT
pass	3NT	pass	pass
pass

West leads the deuce of spades (attitude):

NORTH
K Q 5 3
-
9 5 2
A Q J 9 8 5

SOUTH
10 6 4
K Q 8 3
K 7 6
10 7 6

Plan your play in this awful contract. Here is some extra information: over 2NT and 3NT LHO paused a little while.

At first glance it seems reasonable enough to let the first trick run to your S10. Occasionally that will work, but here it would be a mistake. You could do better and there are clues: West bids diamonds, leads a spade and is bound to have a number of Hearts. Why? At favourable vulnerability, East easily could have preempted with long hearts. Since he did not, apparently his hearts were not long enough, so West is expected to have three or four of them.

Another clue: West thought several times during the bidding. He must have a big hand. Still, I don't place AQJ of diamonds with him. With such a holding he would certainly have led the suit. So, East has the Q or J. This substantially increases the chance of the K being with West, which card is very likely to be bare.

Moreover, when you gamble to ride the first spade to your hand and East wins the jack, you will go tons of down. A shame, since they will make 3.

Therefore, I take the K and cash the A and yes, the king drops. The rest is merely technics. I cross to my hand with the 10 and play a Spade to the Queen, whereafter I exit with the third Spade. West will be obliged to give me the ninth trick in one of the red suits. This was the full deal: