Ah, thanks so much for explaining! Don't apologize at all!
I completely see what you mean now. I was using the "X" marks as flags, when they were actually meant for taking notes! Swapping "X" for the classic "?" mark makes a lot of sense—that’s definitely how original Minesweeper handled uncertain tiles.
So on Stage 3 in my screenshot, I should have been placing flags instead of X marks where the 8 pumpkins were hiding. Clicking them directly was why they blew up (lol)!
Thanks for breaking it down so clearly. I’ll definitely give Stage 3 another shot using flags this time!