PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools).

Theme: X’s and O’s (for Jamie Hargrove)

Author/Opus: This is the 291st puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Shade some cells black so that all unshaded number and arrow clues indicate the exact count of shaded cells in the given direction. Shaded cells cannot share an edge, and all white cells must remain connected as part of a single contiguous group. It is allowed to shade over some of the numbered cells; a shaded over clue may or may not be true.

Also, see this example:

Answer String: For each row from top to bottom, enter the number of shaded cells as a single string. For the example, the answer is “20212”.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:30, Master = 4:30, Expert = 9:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other less common Shading puzzles.