Five-by-five run picture: rules and printable materials

Use row and column run lengths to decide which cells to shade.

Players

1–6

Plan for

8–15 minutes

Bring

Five-by-five run-clue grid, pencil and key

Read what a clue counts

Each clue lists consecutive shaded-run lengths in that line, in order. Runs are separated by at least one empty cell. A clue 3 means exactly one run of three shaded cells, not three scattered cells. Empty cells may occur before or after the run. The supplied five-by-five puzzle has row clues 1,3,5,3,1 and the same column clues.

Mark two different states

Shade a confirmed filled cell and mark an empty cell with a small cross. Leave undecided cells unmarked. Use the same convention throughout so a pale mark is not mistaken for an unfilled possibility. One to six people can solve cooperatively, checking one line at a time. No color recognition is required.

Use a forced line

Row 3 has clue 5 on a five-cell line, so all five cells must be shaded. Column 3 also has clue 5. Row 1 has clue 1; its intersection with the already shaded middle column must therefore be its single shaded cell. The other four cells of that row are empty. Apply the same logic to row 5 before guessing the shorter middle runs.

Check the full picture

The checked solution has rows 00100,01110,11111,01110,00100, where 1 means shaded and 0 empty. The host sheet shows the grid separately. A recognizable picture is not sufficient proof: read the completed run lengths of every row and column. An exhaustive check of the binary line possibilities confirms one solution for this clue set.

End without inventing clues

Stop on a fully checked grid or after the agreed twelve minutes, then reveal if desired. A helper may shade named coordinates. For a new drawing, calculate its run clues and check uniqueness before offering it as a puzzle; different pictures may otherwise share the same clues. The page does not generate or solve custom pictures automatically.

Printable materials

Preview at 100% scale, with browser headers and footers off. Cut with suitable help. Keep host keys separate. This is a manual tabletop kit, not an online opponent, automatic judge or solver.