SANTA BARBARA NEWS-PRESS
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SATURDAY, MARCH 11, 2023
Diversions HOROSCOPE s PUZZLES
SUDOKU
Thought for Today
CODEWORD PUZZLE 16
“You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind.” — Joyce Meyer
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HOROSCOPE ARIES — Low biorhythms may have you feeling less than your usual self, Aries. Your mind may not be quite as quick as it usually is, and you may go through the day in a bit of a fog, possibly reflecting on the past. This isn’t quite as aimless as it sounds. You might want to jot down your memories and reflections. TAURUS — Frustrating delays in completing a project might cause you to doubt your skills, Taurus. Be careful not to fall into this trap. There’s nothing wrong with your skills. Take a good long look at what you’re doing and try to discern where it got hung up. Worries about money may cause you to consider postponing an activity that means a lot to you. GEMINI — Even though you’re likely to wake up feeling energetic and enthusiastic, Gemini, your mood may sink a little when you think about all you need to do. It may be time to question whether you should make some significant changes. Are the walls closing in on you? If so, perhaps you should look for an opportunity that gives you more freedom of movement or perhaps gets you outside part of the time. CANCER — An increased awareness of subtle undercurrents may have you feeling a bit disconcerted today, Cancer. You could experience clairvoyant or telepathic abilities you didn’t know you had. As you usually like to be down to Earth and realistic, this may throw you for a loop, but try to flow with it. LEO — The desire to perform a service of some kind could attract you to group activities today, Leo. You might attend a meeting of a group you aren’t yet familiar with, and you could feel like a fifth wheel. Take heart! You will catch on soon, and the people in the group are likely to take to you. VIRGO — Your day could be worrisome and stressful, Virgo. Your workload may be especially heavy and you could be putting in some long hours. Relations with others might also be a bit tense. Ease the stress by playing music and take frequent breaks. Have a good meal at lunchtime and then take a walk. Things are likely to be a lot more laid back tomorrow!
By FRANK STEWART Tribune Content Agency Saturday, March 11, 2023
What do you say? ANSWER: Your partner’s response promises five or more hearts. If he had only a four-card suit, he would have a better option, even a temporizing response in a threecard minor suit. Your chunky spade suit is worth rebidding, but showing support for your partner’s suit is a basic bidding principle. Raise to three hearts. East dealer Both sides vulnerable NORTH { 7 4 x K 6 3 2 z K J 6 5 y K J 10
EIGHT TRICKS If South leads a club next or a heart to dummy’s king, East will win and set up the spades, and South will have at most eight tricks. To succeed, South leads a diamond to dummy and returns a low heart through East, who has the ace for his opening bid. East must play second hand low: If he takes the ace, South wins three heart tricks and nine in all. If East plays low, South wins and forces out the ace of clubs, winning two clubs, four diamonds, two spades and one heart. DAILY QUESTION You hold: { Q J 10 9 5 x A J 10 z 8 2 y A 6 2. You open one spade, and your partner bids two hearts.
WEST { 8 6 2 x 8 7 5 z 10 4 3 y 9 8 5 4
EAST { Q J 10 9 5 x A J 10 z 8 2 y A 6 2 SOUTH { A K 3 x Q 9 4 z A Q 9 7 y Q 7 3
East South 1 { 1 NT Pass 2 NT All Pass
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West Pass Pass
North 2 { 3 NT
Opening lead — { 2 ©2023 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
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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.
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LIBRA — Today you’re likely to feel rather bored, restless, and frustrated with the way your life is going now, Libra. You have responsibilities that need meeting, yet you have other projects that interest you a lot more than mundane tasks. As a result, you might find yourself growing a bit impatient with those around you. SCORPIO — You may feel especially sexy and passionate, Scorpio, but minor conflicts between you and the special someone in your life could put distance between you. You can avoid this by being patient and making an effort to communicate. You could be tempted to overspend, probably on items you don’t particularly need now and may not even want. SAGITTARIUS — Nervous tension among family members is high today, Sagittarius, so don’t be surprised if household members start quarreling. It’s best to keep them apart most of the day if you can. In the evening, encourage them to talk about what’s bothering them. You may be feeling a bit bored and discouraged, but forget about it by keeping busy. CAPRICORN — Information gleaned today might not be totally accurate, Capricorn. Someone may be repeating gossip or making stories up out of whole cloth. Listen if you want, but don’t pass along anything you hear unless you know for a fact that it’s true. Your workload might be especially heavy and you might have a deadline, so you have a ready excuse not to pay any attention! AQUARIUS — Pessimism over money matters may plague you today, Aquarius. Perhaps a desired increase in income hasn’t materialized, or you’ve been hoping to make a particular purchase that you still can’t quite afford. This might be the time to put your ingenuity to work and come up with a contingency plan to earn the money you need. PISCES — You may be a bit on edge emotionally today, Pisces. You’re likely to feel less selfconfident than usual, and you also might be a bit bored. In addition, you might have an exceedingly oppressive and tedious task that needs doing. Try easing the stress by listening to music and taking frequent breaks. Treat yourself to a good lunch.
DAILY BRIDGE “Simple Saturday” columns focus on basic technique and logical thinking. Defenders usually play “second hand low.” They may compel declarer, who is third to play, to guess what to do or to spend a high card to prevent the other defender from winning cheaply. But declarer can take advantage of that tendency. At today’s 3NT, South wins the first spade with the ace and counts six top tricks: two spades and four diamonds. Meanwhile, East has entries and threatens to establish and cash three spades.
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CROSSWORD PUZZLE Answers to previous CODEWORD R U S T E
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Codeword is a fun game with simple rules, and a great way to test your knowledge of the English language.
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How to play Codeword
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;YPI\UL *VU[LU[ (NLUJ` 33*
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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 THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAME By David L. Hoyt and Jeff Knurek
Unscramble these Jumbles, one letter to each square, to form four ordinary words.
TROAA RWILH
NVLEEE NYOLFD ©2023 Tribune Content Agency, LLC All Rights Reserved.
Answer here: <HVWHUGD\·V
Get the free JUST JUMBLE app • Follow us on Twitter @PlayJumble
Horoscope.com Saturday, March 11, 2023
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Now arrange the circled letters to form the surprise answer, as suggested by the above cartoon.
(Answers Monday) Jumbles: WHOSE DRESS APPEAR EXCUSE Answer: She got an advance on her credit card at the ATM because she was — PRESSED FOR CASH