The signal is probably the single most valuable weapon available to the defense, but, like any other weapon, there is a proper time and place for its use. Take this case where a signal proved useless, partly because of a good play by declarer and partly because one defender could not obey the command of the other.

West led the queen of clubs, and East signaled for a club continuation by playing the eight. Declarer correctly ducked the queen in order to hamper defensive communications (had South won the first trick, he would surely have gone down).

West had no more clubs to lead and had no effective alternative move. In practice, he shifted to a low heart, but declarer won in dummy and led the king of diamonds. East took the ace and returned the ten of clubs, but he was fighting a losing battle. South won with the jack, led another diamond, took the next club with the ace and finished with 10 tricks.

East could have won the battle had he allowed for the possibility that West’s queen of clubs might be a singleton by overtaking the queen with the king. East could then have continued clubs, dislodging one of South’s club stoppers. Whenever declarer got around to leading diamonds, East would win, force out South’s remaining club stopper and would thus win the race to set up his clubs before South could set up dummy’s diamonds.

East should realize from the bidding that declarer might well have the A-J-x or A-J-x-x of clubs. Whatever the case, overtaking the queen guarantees establishment of the clubs before the diamonds. East should have signaled, all right, but with his highest club, the king.

Tomorrow: Bidding quiz.