Sequence Signals

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.

		Dummy
		982
West				East
A3				KQJT7
		Declarer
		654

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

		Dummy
		872
West				East
A3				QJT94
		Declarer
		K65

When West leads the A, East should play the Q. This tells West that South holds the king.

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."