Pseudo-squeeze
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Pseudo-squeeze is an "ingenuine" type of squeeze in contract bridge, where the declarer goes through the motions of a squeeze where none actually exists – simulating a genuine squeeze in the hope that a defender gets the position wrong.
For example, consider the simple positional squeeze as given in the main squeeze page:
| ♠ | 4 | ||
| ♥ | 6 | ||
| ♦ | - | ||
| ♣ | A | ||
|
N E S |
♠ | KQ | |
| ♥ | A | ||
| ♦ | - | ||
| ♣ | - | ||
| ♠ | AJ | ||
| ♥ | K | ||
| ♦ | - | ||
| ♣ | - | ||
Club ace is lead from dummy in the following position, and East is genuinely squeezed between hearts and spades - if he throws away the heart ace, declarer discards the ♠J from hand, plays hearts and makes the ♡K and the ♠A. If he throws away one of the spades, South discards the ♥king, plays spades, and again makes the two remaining tricks.
Now consider the following layout (South as declarer):
| ♠ | 4 | ||||
| ♥ | 6 | ||||
| ♦ | - | ||||
| ♣ | A | ||||
| ♠ | J3 |
N W E S |
♠ | KQ | |
| ♥ | 4 | ♥ | A | ||
| ♦ | - | ♦ | - | ||
| ♣ | - | ♣ | - | ||
| ♠ | A2 | ||||
| ♥ | K | ||||
| ♦ | - | ||||
| ♣ | - | ||||
Now, seeing all the cards it is obvious that on the play of the ♣A East can safely throw a spade, as his partner still guards South's spade 2 menace. However, he cannot see declarer's hand and if he throws the ace of hearts, then he has been pseudo-squeezed.
Similarly, the position could have been:
| ♠ | 4 | ||||
| ♥ | 6 | ||||
| ♦ | - | ||||
| ♣ | A | ||||
| ♠ | 23 |
N W E S |
♠ | KQ | |
| ♥ | K | ♥ | A | ||
| ♦ | - | ♦ | - | ||
| ♣ | - | ♣ | - | ||
| ♠ | AJ | ||||
| ♥ | 4 | ||||
| ♦ | - | ||||
| ♣ | - | ||||
Now, if East throws the spade on the ace of clubs, South makes the rest of the tricks.
Defenders can usually avoid pseudo-squeezes by accurate counting and signalling.
