HOROSCOPE

Horoscope.com

Saturday, March 4, 2023

ARIES — Things regarding love and romance may be a bit dicey for you, Aries. You may find that you have to make a few adjustments in order to remain on the same page as your loved ones. Neither one of you may feel like taking the lead at this time, causing some hesitation in the relationship.

TAURUS — The more tightly you try to hang onto something, Taurus, the more likely it is it will want to slip through your fingers. Grab what you want, but don’t squeeze too hard. Maintain an important balance between showing someone you care by taking them under your wing and allowing them the freedom to be their own person.

GEMINI — Matters involving love and romance might not go exactly the way you’d like, Gemini. You could be waiting for your partner to make the next move, since you’re unsure of which way the relationship is progressing. At the same time, it may be that your partner is the one waiting for you.

CANCER — Things should be going well for you in the love and romance department, Cancer, but you could find that today things get a bit tenuous. While you want things to be clear and planned out, it could be that your partner longs for more freedom and spontaneity. Tension may result if either party becomes too set in their ways.

LEO — People may be wondering how to proceed while you’re off doing your own thing. Don’t go in one direction and leave someone else behind, Leo. In matters regarding love and romance, you may have to slow down and communicate with your partner. Take the lead and try not to get slowed down by other people’s indecisiveness.

VIRGO — Recent events in the love and romance department may have you feeling like you aren’t getting your needs met, Virgo. Remember that other people aren’t mind readers the way you are. If someone’s behavior isn’t right with you, say so. Romantic partnerships should uplift and support your dreams, not something you make personal sacrifices for just to maintain.

LIBRA — Be careful that you

By FRANK STEWART

Tribune Content Agency

Saturday, March 4, 2023

“Simple Saturday” columns focus on basic technique and logical thinking. Finesses can be a necessary evil. They entail two problems: Half of the time, they lose; the other half, when they win, they may gain nothing.

At today’s four hearts, South was favored with a low-diamond opening lead; dummy’s jack held. Declarer next cashed the ace of trumps and led a trump for a finesse with his jack. West took the queen and returned his last trump.

CLUB TO LOSE

South won in dummy and finessed with the queen of clubs, losing. He won the club return with the ace and ruffed a club in dummy, but he still had a club to lose, plus a spade.

Down one.

South’s trump finesse might not have gained even if it had won; he still would have wanted to draw the missing queen, thereby costing himself a ruff. South should finesse in clubs at Trick Two, win the club return and take the A-K of trumps. Then he can ignore the missing high trump and ruff two clubs in dummy, losing only three tricks in all.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: A 3 K J 9 5 aren’t manipulating a romantic situation so your partner loses any power, Libra. You may think your actions are noble and well meaning, but you may be creating a scenario that has no basis in reality. People could be impressionable, but that doesn’t mean you should take advantage of this by promoting your own interests at the expense of another’s.

K 4 A Q 5 2. You open 2NT, and your partner bids 4NT.

SCORPIO — Things in the love department may be looking up for you, Scorpio, but beware that you aren’t getting pushed around. Your partner could feel the need for more freedom in the relationship, while you’re hoping to find more commitment. Take it one day at a time. Don’t get ahead of yourself by projecting scenarios that may not come to fruition.

SAGITTARIUS — You may find that you’re indecisive when it comes to issues concerning love and romance, Sagittarius. For some reason, you have a tendency to pull one way and then the other, yet neither way seems very rewarding. Don’t feel like you have to take concrete action at this time. In fact, if you do, this commitment may cause you more frustration later.

CAPRICORN — Try to get more grounded in your actions regarding love and romance, Capricorn. You may need to take a more reserved approach in your actions in order to get where you need to go. At the same time, however, your freedom-loving, adventurous side may feel the need to roam more freely.

AQUARIUS — You’re quite sure of yourself and solid about many things except one. When it comes to romantic relationships, you feel a bit unsure and inadequate, Aquarius. It could be that you’re indecisive about how to proceed. There’s a strong urge to take charge, but also a tendency to slow things down and let others take the lead.

PISCES — When it comes to love and romance, things are definitely in your favor, Pisces. The thing to be aware of today is that there might be some manipulation on the part of someone close to you. Take care that someone else’s need for freedom isn’t negatively affecting your relationship. Communication is key in order to maintain a healthy romance at any level.

Sudoku

Codeword Puzzle

INSTRUCTIONS

Fill in the grid so every row, every column and every 3-by-3 grid contains the digits 1 through 9. that means that no number is repeated in any row, column or box.

Sudoku puzzles appear on the Diversions page Monday-Saturday and on the crossword solutions page in Sunday’s Life section.

Crossword Puzzle

Answers to previous CODEWORD

How to play Codeword

Codeword is a fun game with simple rules, and a great way to test your knowledge of the English language. Every number in the codeword grid is ‘code’ for a letter of the alphabet. Thus, the number 2 may correspond to the letter L, for instance. All puzzles come with a few letters to start. Your first move should be to enter these letters in the puzzle grid. If the letter S is in the box at the bottom of the page underneath the number 2, your first move should be to find all cells numbered 2 in the grid and enter the letter S. Cross the letter S off the list at the bottom of the grid.

Remember that at the end you should have a different letter of the alphabet in each of the numbered boxes 1- 26, and a word in English in each of the horizontal and vertical runs on the codeword grid.

Puzzle

What do you say?

ANSWER: Partner’s 4NT is not the Blackwood ace-asking convention. (In experienced partnerships, not every 4NT bid is Blackwood, believe it or not.) His bid invites slam just as a raise of 1NT to 2NT would invite game. If your 2NT opening shows 20 or 21 points, bid 6NT, or maybe six clubs to allow for the chance of a suit contract. South dealer

805-965-5935. 7:30 p.m. Cabrillo High School

Performing Arts will present the musical “The Wizard of Oz” at 7:30 p.m. March 3, 4, 10 and 11 with an “Emerald City” matinee, in which the audience is encouraged to wear green, at 1 p.m. March 11. The performances will take place at the school’s Little Theater, 4350 Constellation Drive, Lompoc. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $10 for youths under 18. To purchase, visit www.gofan.co.

MARCH 7

7 p.m. “Four Winters,” a documentary about resistance fighters during World War II, screens at Paseo Nuevo Cinemas on lower State Street in Santa Barbara. A Q & A will follow.

MARCH 16

5:30 p.m. Dr. Fabrizio Michelassi — Lewis Atterbury Stimson professor and chairman in the Department of Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical Center and surgeon-in-chief at New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center — will present a public lecture titled “In the Eye of the Storm: Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic.” The free talk will take place at the Wolf Education and Training Center, 529 W. Junipero St., adjacent to Ridley-Tree Cancer Center in Santa Barbara. Reservations are required by March 10. To attend, contact J.V. Vallejos at 805-681-7528 or jvallejo@sansumclinic.org.

MARCH 18

7:30 p.m. The Santa Barbara Symphony will perform “John Williams: A Cinematic Celebration” at The Granada, 1214 State St., Santa Barbara. To purchase tickets, go to granadasb.org. For more information, visit www. thesymphony.org or call 805-8989386.

MARCH 19

3 p.m. The Santa Barbara Symphony will perform John Williams: A Cinematic Celebration” at The Granada, 1214 State St., Santa Barbara. To purchase tickets, go to granadasb.org. For more information, visit www. thesymphony.org or call 805-8989386.

— Dave Mason