Card combinations in bridge are a bit like the endgame in chess; fundamentally simple but you still have to work them out at the table. We've all been there, pondering to ourselves the relative merits of playing an opponent for a singleton Queen or Ten. The ones that Joe presents in this article are nothing like this difficult. In fact, they're painfully easy. But that's why they weren't submitted to our sister site, qualitybridge.com.

	A 9 4 2
Q 8 3		7 5
	K J 10 6

South declares in this spade suit. There is an outside Ace to lose and no other problems. At one table the contract is 6 going off when declarer misguesses spades. At the other, the contract is 3NT and West leads a spade from the Queen. Declarer wins it in hand with the Ten, crosses to the A and takes the spade "finesse" to lose to the now stiff Queen off-side. Words fail me.

	Q 10 3
J 2		K 9 7 4
	A 8 6 5

This is the club suit and I was declaring in 4 which rests on losing only one trump from AJ9x opposite four small and losing no clubs. Defence kindly play on trumps and I'm now stuck with the club suit. I called for the Q and ran it. So far so good. I now cashed out and watched RHO keep his spades (despite his partner having shown five) and bare the K. So when I cashed the Ace my last club was good...

	A 9 5 3 2 A K 8 6 3 5 4 2
J 6 J 6 J 9 4 A Q 9 8 6 3		Q 8 4 2 9 8 7 5 4 Q 10 J 10
	K 10 7 A K Q 10 3 7 5 2 K 7

I led the J as West against 3. Declarer won the first trick with the King and immediately ran the 10! Does he think we play Roman leads? Partner won this and gave me my ruff. I played a diamond to dummy and declarer promptly played the A to pitch a diamond loser, but thereby giving me a second ruff!