Most of the scoring happens in the competitive bidding. Pairs gain a significant edge from competing under the right conditions — and from knowing when it's correct to defend instead.
The modern takeout double has evolved a lot and is one of the most important tools we have in competitive auctions. Once we've found a fit, a flood of questions often comes up, including:
At its core, competitive bidding is about finding our fits early and bidding as high as possible as soon as possible — leaving little room for our opponents and forcing them to guess. They are often guessing in the dark whether to bid, pass or double.
Another key idea is not letting the opponents play in comfortable contracts when we can avoid it — this applies especially to their fits at the two level, where it's often correct to compete, particularly when we aren't vulnerable. Vulnerability is a factor we have to weigh constantly in competitive bidding.