HOROSCOPE

Horoscope.com

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

ARIES — The desire to make a major purchase of some kind, perhaps a luxury item, might have you counting your pennies today, Aries. Once they’re all counted, you might doubt the wisdom of buying it now. This isn’t the day to make a decision either way. Wait a few days and you should see things more clearly and have a better grasp of the situation.

TAURUS — Worries about a household member could plague you today, Taurus. This person might have gone away without telling anyone, or seem upset. Your friend is probably OK but at odds with someone outside the household rather than in it. Let this person work it out in whatever way they see fit. Your companion will share with you when the time is right.

GEMINI — A sibling or neighbor may tell you one thing, Gemini, while your intuition tells you the opposite. This isn’t a vindictive deception. The person is probably trying to spare your feelings. Perhaps it’s better not to challenge this person. Wait until you know more before bringing up the subject. You don’t want to cause a rift between the two of you.

CANCER — A friend who’s having money problems might dump all their woes on you today, Cancer. Your inclination isn’t to be very sympathetic, but hold back that tendency. The situation is real, and your friend is very worried and needs solutions more than criticism or sympathy. Your common sense and practical nature could be invaluable right now. Offer to listen.

LEO — Have you been given a task to do at work that hasn’t been explained properly, Leo? If so, you may feel at a loss. What to do? It’s best to go back to the person who assigned the work and ask for more details. This could be temporarily humbling, but remember, it’s better to ask a stupid question than to make a stupid mistake.

VIRGO — You’re probably excited about a forthcoming journey, Virgo, but you may be unclear about the arrangements. Don’t let this situation persist or your trip might not work out the way you hope. Get in touch with people who know what’s what and get as much information as you can. Then you will know it all

Daily

By FRANK STEWART Tribune Content Agency

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Against today’s four spades, West had a reason for leading his ace of trumps: to see dummy. Many players might have done the same, forgetting that they get to see dummy whatever they lead.

Having seen dummy and its weakness in hearts, West switched to the deuce: four, queen, ace. South then took the K-A of diamonds and ruffed a diamond. When East-West followed, he drew trumps and took the two good diamonds for heart discards. East got his ace of clubs, but South made an overtrick.

OMINOUS

Another reason for leading the ace of trumps: You can see what lead would’ve been better. On the bidding, dummy would have a diamond suit — maybe a good one — and West’s diamond holding was ominous. There was danger that South would use the suit for discards.

In such a case, a defender may lead aggressively, hoping for fast tricks before declarer gets discards. So West could lead an attacking low heart. As it happens, he sets up two heart tricks to go with the defenders’ black-suit aces.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: K 9 before you get on that plane.

10 8 4 2 K 10. The dealer, at your left, opens two hearts (weak).

LIBRA — A dream or insight might find you questioning one of your long-held goals, Libra. Perhaps you’ve formulated another goal you like better, or you’re beginning to doubt the workability of the old one. This probably isn’t a good day to make a decision of any sort. Your thinking may not be as rational as it usually is.

SCORPIO — Someone at work may be upset, Scorpio, and not inclined to communicate their feelings to anyone else. This might cast a pall over the atmosphere. You may wonder if this person is upset with you, but chances are it has a lot more to do with the job than you. Make use of your ability to concentrate, and don’t let this get in your way. It isn’t worth the trouble.

SAGITTARIUS — Some unsettling news from far away could have you stressed out, Sagittarius. This might affect your work if you aren’t careful. Your mind may stray back and forth from work to the news and its implications. Stay focused. All signs are that whatever you’ve heard is likely to be far less troublesome than it appears right now.

CAPRICORN — You’re likely to be in a good space right now, Capricorn. If you’re single, you’re in no hurry to change that. If you’re involved, you and your partner should be getting along very well. However, you might experience a little doubt when a current or potential partner becomes uncommunicative. Your friend probably has money worries.

AQUARIUS — A visitor may come over today, Aquarius, but you might wonder why this person bothered. He or she may seem distracted and more inclined to listen to what you say than offer any conversation. Chances are that your friend felt lonely and needed some company. Be flattered. Don’t be afraid to launch into a monologue about something you find fascinating.

PISCES — A phone call may come from someone you know is prone to gossip, Pisces. This person may have a lot to say, but be sure you take it with a grain of salt, if not the whole shaker. Your skepticism could prove invaluable in this respect. If what this person says is important, check out the facts before passing it on or taking any action.

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 through Saturday.

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

Your partner doubles, and the next player passes. What do you say?

ANSWER: Partner has a good hand with support for the unbid suits. Jump to four diamonds, inviting game. You would bid three diamonds with a much weaker hand. Some pairs use the Lebensohl convention here: A bid of three diamonds would encourage; a bid of 2NT would plead weakness.

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