Minesweeper
Clear the board without detonating a mine.
FAQ
Can the first click ever hit a mine?
How do I place and remove flags?
How big is each difficulty level?
What do the numbers mean, and how do I win?
How to use
- Choose a difficulty
Pick Easy, Medium or Expert, then press New game. The header shows how many mines remain and how long you have taken; the clock starts with your first reveal.
- Reveal squares with a left click
Left-click a covered square to open it. A number tells you how many mines touch that square, while an empty square automatically opens the safe area around it.
- Flag mines with right click
On a computer, right-click a square to place a flag and right-click again to remove it. On a touch screen, switch on Flag mode first, then tap the squares you suspect.
- Your first click is always safe
The first square you open, and the eight squares around it, are guaranteed to be mine-free. Open anywhere without fear, then start reasoning from the numbers.
- Open every safe square to win
You win by revealing all squares that do not hold a mine. Hitting a mine ends the round and uncovers the whole layout, so you can review where you went wrong.
About this tool
Minesweeper was written at Microsoft by Robert Donner and Curt Johnson. It reached a huge audience from 1990, when it shipped with Windows 3.1 in the Microsoft Entertainment Pack. During the 1990s it became one of the most played office computer games. Hidden mines are scattered across the board, and the number shown when you open a square counts the mines in the eight surrounding cells. Deduce which squares are safe and which hold mines; open every safe square to win, but a single mine ends the round.
It suits players who enjoy deduction more than reflexes. Every move follows from the numbers rather than luck, and losses usually trace back to one hasty judgement. Medium and Expert boards can take ten minutes or more, which makes them good company on a commute or a quiet lunch break. Many people also treat it as logic practice: patience matters far more than speed.
How it works
Minesweeper runs on constraint reasoning. Every number states that exactly n mines sit in the eight touching cells, and each flag or reveal adds one more condition to the system. The classic 1-2-1 pattern is airtight because the two 1s have already spent their quota. The mines of the 2 must sit on the flank squares. When logic runs out and several layouts still fit every number, honest probability begins. Count the arrangements and pick the square with the lowest mine share. Opening corners first follows the same logic, because three neighbours mean tighter and denser information.
Corners first has its own arithmetic. A corner touches 3 cells, an edge 5, the centre 8, so the same number eliminates more unknowns where neighbours are few. The flood fill is the most satisfying mechanic. One click on an empty cell cascades through a whole safe region, sometimes opening a dozen squares at once. Experts therefore open where the board is likely to connect into sheets. And when the endgame shrinks to a coin-flip pair of squares, that is mathematics, not a mistake, so take the loss calmly and move on.
When to use it
- A reasoning break
A medium board takes about ten minutes and needs no reflexes, so an interruption costs nothing. Step away mid-board and pick the chain back up. Winning through evidence feels very different from winning through luck.
- A logic self-test
Numbers, flags and flood fills form a complete exercise in moving from conditions to conclusions. Settle the certain cells first, resolve the conflicts, and only then weigh probabilities, reviewing lost boards to speed up the chain.
- Commute-sized boards
The Easy board clears in a few minutes with one hand, and the safe first click survives a bumpy bus. Save the Expert board for a quiet evening.
Tips & tricks
- Open the four corners first: a corner touches only three squares, so its number narrows the mines down quickly.
- Learn the 1-2-1 pattern: when two 1s sit either side of a 2, the squares beside that 2 are mines and can be flagged safely.
- For 1-2-2-1, click between the 2s: with 1s at both ends, the two middle squares are always safe.
Things to watch
- Flagging on suspicion
A flag is a note, not a conclusion. Marking cells that merely might be mines bends every later number around your assumption. Reserve flags for certain mines and push the rest by elimination.
- Staring at one number
Half a minute on a stubborn 3 often ends when you notice the answer sits in a 1 two rows away. Sweep the whole board regularly and solve the forced cells before the vague ones.
- Guessing too early
Clicking a probability square while a certain deduction remains elsewhere is the most common way to lose. Confirm that no safe inference is left, then compare the candidates before you click.