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A sequence signal is a part of standard defensive carding. Playing the top card of an honor sequence, such as the king from KQJ84, indicates possession of one or more subordinate honor cards.

Sequence signals are used against both suit and no-trump contracts. They can also be used when following suit or discarding.


Examples

Dummy
982
WestEast
A3KQJT7
Declarer
S654


West leads the SA. East should play the SK to shed light on the distribution. Compare this to the below layout:

Dummy
872
WestEast
A3QJT94
Declarer
HK65


When West leads the HA, East should play the HQ. This tells West that South holds the king.


Other Considerations

This signal does not necessarily have its own name, and I have called it a "sequence signal" in an attempt at semantic clarity. In his book "How to Defend a Bridge Hand", Bill Root refers to this as "Signaling with honor cards." In one of his bridge defense articles, Mike Lawrence calls it an "information signal."

See also