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Dear Mr. Wolff: We really enjoy studying your column, but as fairly new bridge players, we were taught to lead the ace from ace-king unless the holding is doubleton. Could you please explain why you lead the king first? – Flowering Zinnias, Pinehurst, N.C.

Answer: If you lead the king from ace-king, then, when you lead an unsupported ace at trick one, partner won’t think you have the king, too. The downside is that with J-x-x-(x) facing the lead of a king, you do not know whether to encourage when the queen is not in dummy.

By contrast, in the middle of the hand, when you may frequently need to cash out by leading an unsupported ace, it is clear to lead the king from ace-king, allowing partner to signal length, not attitude.

Dear Mr. Wolff: Holding ♠K-Q, ♥Q-J-7-2, ♦A-Q-4-2, ♣K-Q-J, I wonder whether you could comment on my decision to open one diamond and jump to two no-trump over a one-spade response. I thought this showed 19-20, but I was informed that this view was old-fashioned. – A la Mode, Worcester, Mass.

Answer: These days, when most people play a 15-17 no-trump, your jump rebid of two no-trump shows 18-19. With a 20-count you should open two no-trump. Having said that, if you wanted to down-value this particular hand to a 19-count, I could understand your reasoning.

Dear Mr. Wolff: If the opponents intervene in your Blackwood auction, how can you show your aces efficiently and unambiguously? – Roadblock, Riverside, Calif.

Answer: A simple and popular method is to use a convention known as DOPI. Double shows no aces, pass shows one, and the next steps higher than the intervening suit show two, three, etc. If the interference is at the level of five of your trump suit or higher, switch to DEPO (double is even – zero or two; pass is one). Playing that way, with three aces I would bid step two; with four aces, step three.

Dear Mr. Wolff: Holding ♠Q-10-8-6, ♥A-J, ♦A-J-9-2, ♣Q-4-3, I heard my RHO open one heart. I doubled, my LHO redoubled, and my partner bid one spade. When the next player bid two hearts, was I allowed to raise my partner? I did so and was doubled for a loss of 800! – Over the Top, Vancouver, B.C.

Answer: Although you had extras and decent trump support, the redouble had warned you of breakers ahead. I think I would have passed and hoped that partner could bid again if this was your side’s hand. But I’ve certainly made worse bids than raising partner here!

Dear Mr. Wolff: How many quick tricks does one need to open one of a suit, one no-trump, a strong two, and two no-trump? – Scoring at Home, Detroit, Mich.

Answer: It is interesting to note how much quick tricks were overvalued 50 years ago. These days the fault lies in going too far in the other direction. I try to have a trick and a half for my one-level suit openings, but simply use high-card points when deciding whether to open one no-trump. Similarly, with 20 to 22 points I open two no-trump, regardless of aces and kings. For strong twos I like eight tricks in my hand, but quick tricks are rather less important, though two first-round controls are highly desirable.