HOROSCOPE

Horoscope.com

Saturday, April 8, 2023

ARIES — Make sure you keep up your end of the bargain today, Aries. People are counting on you whether you realize it or not. You may get the idea that you can sneak out of responsibility if you lay low and not say a word. The fact of the matter is that people are watching you and they will know when you haven’t upheld your promises to the group.

TAURUS — You may feel tension in your world today without really knowing why, Taurus. This feeling of conflict may have your stomach in knots, making it difficult to deal with anything or anyone in a rational manner. Try not to take everything personally when people disapprove of your actions.

GEMINI — Don’t downplay your abilities now, Gemini. You’re on the brink of greatness, so act like it. Things should go quite well if you let them. Don’t clog up the works by thinking that you’re unworthy of the good luck that is sure to come your way. If things don’t work out exactly the way you want them to, take it as a sign that the situation wasn’t right for you anyway.

CANCER — Take a leap of faith today, Cancer. Consider taking two or three. Trust that things will follow through perfectly. You will be drawn to those who put a smile on your face. These are the people you need to stick close to now. A positive attitude will lead you in a positive direction.

LEO — When others can’t seem to decide which way to proceed, it will become crucial that you stand up and be the deciding force, Leo. Be as aggressive as you need to be today in order to set things in motion. The elements are already in place. What’s needed now is a bit of follow-through. You’re in the perfect position to provide this missing piece of the puzzle.

VIRGO — Your head may be going in a thousand different directions today, Virgo. You may not have much time to stop and think about your next move. Things will come up suddenly and you will need to be able to react quickly. The faster you move, the less time you will have to react.

LIBRA — You’re apt to feel emotionally brave today,

Libra, so take advantage of this feeling by extending it to the people around you. Try not to get anxious or jump ahead of yourself. Enjoy where you are at this very moment. Don’t get stressed about things you feel you need to do. Be happy with yourself regardless of what you end up accomplishing.

SCORPIO — Your biggest dream is in front of you, Scorpio, yet there’s a large object standing in your path. When you peer around one way, the goal is only partly visible. When you peer around the other way, the other side of the dream becomes clear, but you still don’t have the complete picture.

SAGITTARIUS — Luck and prosperity lie within your grasp now, Sagittarius. The only problem is that you might not notice because you’re so caught up in some emotional drama that occupies your entire being. Don’t concern yourself with issues that don’t directly pertain to you. Your time and energy are too precious. Keep your mind focused on your biggest goals.

CAPRICORN — You may fall into a bottomless pit today, Capricorn. Be careful about offering so much of yourself that you drain your internal resources. You might think other people will be equally generous about offering themselves to you. Don’t assume this. You’re better off assuming that you will get nothing in return.

AQUARIUS — Don’t just talk about grand trips around the world - start planning them, Aquarius. If you don’t start saving your resources and reserving blocks of time for your dreams, they may never come true. Today is a good time to set things in motion. Your attitude is likely to be more flexible, and you will find that this way of thinking will bring you to the people and places that can help you the most.

PISCES — Think of yourself as a great pioneer crossing the frontier for the first time, Pisces. Acknowledge yourself as the important person that you are. Believe in yourself and your rights and opinions. Indecision could hinder your actions. Don’t let it. Take an active stance at all times. Be brave in the face of hardships that you might confront today.

Daily Bridge

By FRANK STEWART Tribune Content Agency

Saturday, April 8, 2023

“Simple Saturday” columns focus on basic technique and logical thinking.

It may be well to put all your eggs in one basket, then keep an eye on the basket. But if yours tends to leak, you may need an extra basket.

Today’s North-South bid easily to 3NT. South’s jump to 2NT promised a balanced 18 to 20 points, and North had an easy raise. West led the deuce of spades. When East played low to prevent dummy’s king from becoming an entry, South’s queen won.

DOWN ONE

South next led the jack and a second diamond to dummy’s king.

When no ace appeared, he gave up on the diamonds and led a club to finesse with his jack, losing. He won only two tricks in each suit: down one.

South’s play wasn’t eggsactly best. He should lead a diamond to dummy’s ten at Trick Two, then try a club to his eight. If West won with the nine or ten and, say, shifted to a heart, South could win and lead a diamond to dummy. He would be safe if a defender held A-x or if a club finesse with the queen won. DAILY QUESTION

You hold:

Your partner opens one heart, you raise to two

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

hearts and he bids two spades. What do you say?

ANSWER: Partner’s two spades will usually be a try for game. He asks you to judge a close case by looking at your holding in his second suit. You have a sound raise, but with weak trumps and possibly wasted diamond honors, I would not jump to four hearts. Bid three diamonds and let partner decide.