Bidding is all about learning a language: how to communicate and understand. Over the years, bidding languages or, "systems," have become more explicit and accurate than they were in decades past, and thus players joining clubs and entering tournaments need to be familiar with, at least, basic bidding in current use. It is particularly important to be able to judge the quality, or trick-taking potential, of a hand, both at offense and defense. The vast majority of bidding disasters occur in competitive situations, notably in deals where there is a lot of distribution around and close decisions with potentially expensive costs need to be made. This book teaches readers how to avoid mistakes in these areas. The book works its way through uncontested and contested auctions, emphasizing the importance of anticipation of final contract, whether it is played by the reader and his or her partner or by opponents. Hopefully, many pitfalls will be avoided away from the table, when they do not cost, rather than in the heat of the battle, when they painfully do.