Pseudo-finesse
A pseudo or "Chinese" finesse presents a declarer's deceptive move to fake a high-leading finesse by leading an unprotected honor, hoping that the defender will misread the situation.
| ♠ A 7 4 3 | ||
| ♠ K 6 5 | W N↑ S↓ E | ♠ 10 8 2 |
| ♠ Q J 9 |
Consider the legitimate finesse situation at left:
If South leads the queen first, and West covers, the declarer will be able to subsequently finesse against East's ten, losing no tricks in the suit. Thus, West should withhold the king for one round.
| ♠ A 7 4 3 | ||
| ♠ K 6 5 | W N↑ S↓ E | ♠ J 10 9 |
| ♠ Q 8 2 |
However, in the alternate situation:
If South leads the queen and West ducks, the declarer will lose only one trick in the suit instead of two.
Read more about this topic: Finesse