HOROSCOPE

Horoscope.com

Thursday, March 30, 2023

ARIES — You might be extremely busy now. Invitations to large parties, small gatherings with close friends, and intimate evenings with romantic partners might come up today. Be discriminating in those you accept, Aries. Concentrate on seeing people who share your interests.

TAURUS — Unexpected visitors could wake you up to the possibility of new work opportunities, Taurus. This could advance your current job or be work you can do on your own - maybe on a volunteer basis. Whatever it is, you will probably find it exciting. You might even be impatient to get on with it. Pace yourself. If you tire yourself out, you won’t be able to continue.

GEMINI — If you aren’t romantically involved, an errand, walk, or other foray into your neighborhood might bring an exciting new person into your life. This encounter may or may not lead to something lasting, Gemini, but you will enjoy it anyway! If you’re currently involved, a casual outing with your partner could result in intimate conversations that bring the two of you closer.

CANCER — Money that you may have been hoping to use to better your living or working condition could suddenly come your way today, Cancer. Ideas for how to put it to work in the most efficient, satisfying way could pop into your mind quickly. You will probably want to write them all down, consider your options carefully, and then choose the ones that suit your needs best. Go to it.

LEO — When you run errands today, check the bulletin boards in local businesses. You may have been longing for adventure and dreaming about getting away from it all, Leo, but today you might find the excitement you crave right in your community. New events, people, and businesses that you will enjoy could be moving in.

VIRGO — Information received today excites your imagination and encourages you to start a new artistic or creative project, Virgo. Stories, pictures, abstract concepts — all could come together in your mind and form an inspired idea that could change your life. Gird your loins, write down your thoughts, and see where it all takes you.

LIBRA — Adventure is the word for today, Libra. A lot of physical and mental energy, as well as enthusiasm, might lead you to aim for goals that others consider too risky or unrealistic. Don’t let their opinions stop you. After giving each idea an objective assessment, if you still believe you want to try, start looking into it seriously.

SCORPIO — New career goals may come your way with the current aspect, Scorpio, opening up possibilities you may not have considered. This could be very exciting. It might even work toward the fulfillment of childhood dreams that you abandoned long ago. They may involve the arts, modern technology, or both.

SAGITTARIUS — Fascinating new information could arrive today from TV or the Internet, opening up new educational opportunities. The possibility of making contact and perhaps visiting new friends in other countries might come to your attention. You will probably find this very exciting, Sagittarius, and make plans immediately.

CAPRICORN — A sudden burst of physical energy and determination could lead to additional income for you, Capricorn. This is probably due to an unexpected opportunity to do some extra work outside the scope of your usual employment. It could also be a long overdue payment for past work. You could also receive acknowledgement of some kind for work well done, further firing your enthusiasm. Go for the gold!

AQUARIUS — Friends or a group with which you’re affiliated could propose a trip. This might seem like a great adventure, Aquarius, so you’re likely to go for it. You will probably have a wonderful time. You might make some new friends while you’re away, or even fall in love. A little break might fire your enthusiasm for pursuing career or educational opportunities when you return. Go for it!

PISCES — An opportunity to do some extra work outside the scope of your regular job could present itself to you. Take it, Pisces. Not only could you earn some extra money but you might also open new doors that expand your professional horizons. The only danger is that you might work too hard and tire yourself out. It’s OK for a while, but don’t make a habit of it.

Daily Bridge

By FRANK STEWART

Tribune Content Agency

Thursday, March 30, 2023

With two deals left in a semifinal of the Soloway Knockout Teams at the Fall NABC, Simon COPE’s foursome (Delmonte, F. Kolesnik, K. Rosenberg) trailed Marty FLEISHER by 2 IMPs, having begun the fourth quarter down by 46.

At both tables, West opened 1NT.

When COPE’s pair sat East-West, 1NT was passed out, down two for plus 200 to FLEISHER. In the replay, young Finn Kolesnik bid two hearts as South after two passes — not an obvious action — and North had a shot at four hearts.

LOSING LEAD

Bidding game was wrong in theory, but West found the natural lead — the only losing lead — of a trump. Declarer won and should have led the king of clubs next, starting to set up dummy’s suit. Instead he led a diamond to dummy’s ace and returned a club.

If East had grabbed his ace, he would have beaten the contract. But he played low, and South scored his king and embarked on a crossruff that produced 10 tricks, plus 620.

COPE gained 9 IMPs, took the lead and won the match, 125 to 120.

Your

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 Saturday’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

opens two clubs (strong, artificial), you respond two diamonds and he bids two spades. What do you say?

ANSWER: Slam is likely, and you might raise to three spades, setting the trump suit, intending to bid more later. (If partner goes to four spades, you will cue-bid five clubs.)

A possible action is a “splinter” jump to four hearts to show spade support, heart shortness and slam interest.

West dealer Both sides vulnerable