Minesweeper

How to play Minesweeper

Minesweeper is a logic puzzle on a grid of hidden squares. Some squares hide mines. Your job is to open every safe square without opening a mine. When you open a safe square, it shows a number from 1 to 8 telling you how many of the eight squares around it hold mines. A blank square means none of its neighbors are mines, so the game opens them all for you.

Levels

• Easy: 9 by 9 squares with 10 mines. A good place to learn the patterns.
• Medium: 16 by 16 squares with 40 mines.
• Hard: 16 by 30 squares with 99 mines. On a phone the board scrolls sideways inside its box.

Your first click is always safe. The mines are placed after it, and the squares around it are kept clear, so you always start with an open area to work from. The timer starts on that first click.

Controls on a computer

• Left click a square to reveal it.
• Right click to place or remove a flag on a square you think is a mine. The counter on the left shows how many mines are left, minus your flags.
• Click a revealed number to chord. If you have flagged as many mines around it as the number shows, all its other neighbors open at once.
• You can also use the keyboard: arrow keys to move, Enter or Space to reveal, and F to flag.

Controls on a phone or tablet

• Tap a square to reveal it.
• Press and hold for about half a second to place or remove a flag.
• Mode button: switch to Flag mode if you prefer, so every tap flags. Switch back to Reveal mode to open squares.
• Tap a revealed number to chord, just like on a computer.

Tips and strategy

• Start with the 1s on an edge. A 1 that touches only one hidden square tells you exactly where a mine is. Flag it, then look at its neighbors again.
• Count what is left. If a 2 already touches two flags, every other hidden square around it is safe. Chord it to open them quickly.
• Learn the 1-2-1 pattern. When you see 1, 2, 1 in a row along a wall of hidden squares, the mines sit next to the two 1s, and the square beside the 2 is safe.
• Learn the 1-1 pattern. Two 1s side by side along an edge often mean the square past the second 1 is safe.
• Flag only when you are sure. A wrong flag makes chording dangerous. If you are unsure, leave the square alone.
• Guess last. When you are stuck, look at the rest of the board first. If you truly must guess, pick a square that would open new information, such as one far from the numbers.

A round of Easy takes a minute or two, which makes it a quick brain break between homework tasks. Hard can take much longer, so save it for a longer break.

Questions