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Plus, all human beings are susceptible to a syndrome called “decision fatigue.” You’ve surely experienced it. The simple process of making repetitive decisions is mentally draining. Having to make many decisions in a row — like when you’re building a house, planning a wedding, or plotting a Ukrainian coup — can be taxing and exhausting.
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What a great observation! This captures exactly why I feel so tired after a week of bridge against excellent players.
In a tournament, we each play 24-27 hands every game and most players play 2 games a day (48-54 hands). A tournament can last from one day to 11 days for a National tournament (528-594 hands). There are 13 rounds of play in each hand and 12 involve a decision, so there are a minimum of 288 decisions in a single game, 6336-7128 decisions for an 11 day tournament. There is no decision in the last round of play of a hand because every player must play the only card he holds.
For each hand, the idea is for each player to figure out who holds which cards based on the bidding, the actual play of cards and through sophisticated communication techniques using the cards played. This means we don’t necessarily play the lowest card we hold in a suit when the opponents play the ace of that suit. The card we play tells our partner something about our hand so we can silently work together to win the maximum number of rounds/tricks. The earlier it is in the play of a hand, the tougher the decision about which card to play because less is known about what the other players hold. The opponents are also watching the cards we play and our signals to each other, so we have to find the right balance between telling our partner the truth and misleading the opponent.
When the hand is over, then the internal evaluation and judgement starts as we critique the decisions we made throughout the hand, sometimes accompanied by partner’s comments on the same. I absolutely suffer from decision fatigue at the end of a tournament from the sheer number and complexity of the decisions made throughout the week. That’s also why, when I get home, the mere question “What should I make for dinner?” can feel like an impossible riddle. I’m delighted to have a name for it. Let’s hope that Judge Merchan doesn’t have the mental or physical stamina required to prevent his own decision fatigue.
No wonder I could never learn to play bridge. I was exhausted by your description!😳