Craftsman head gasket issue?

I have a Craftsman tractor with a 18.5 hp Briggs & Stratton ohv Intek engine. After about 3 years of light use the head gasket went and I paid Sears to replace it. Now it is about 3years since it has been replaced and it appears to have the same symptoms, blue smoke when you engage the blades and now using oil again.
I would imagine this is a typical problem with this engine since the head gasket is extremely narrow at one specific area.

Any one else experiencing this problem? I guess there is no real solution. Thanks