How to win at Minesweeper: from first click to cleared board
6 min read ·
Minesweeper looks like luck, but most of every board is pure logic. Each number tells you exactly how many mines touch that cell, and a handful of patterns let you clear huge areas without ever risking a click.
This guide covers the basic reading, the patterns experienced players see instantly, chording for speed, and what to do in the rare spots where logic runs out.
The rules
- Click a cell to reveal it. A number is how many of its eight neighbours hide a mine.
- Flag a cell you know is a mine (right-click, long-press, or switch to Flag mode with F).
- Reveal every cell that isn't a mine to win; reveal a mine and the game is over.
- Your first click is always safe: mines are placed after it, away from that cell and its neighbours.
Reading the numbers
Two questions solve most of the board. For any number, count its hidden neighbours and its flags:
- If hidden neighbours = number − flags, every hidden neighbour is a mine. Flag them.
- If flags = number, every other hidden neighbour is safe. Open them.
Patterns to learn
Along a straight edge of revealed cells, a few number sequences always resolve the same way:
- 1-2-1: the mines are under the two 1s; the cell under the 2 is safe.
- 1-2-2-1: the mines are under the two 2s; the cells under the 1s are safe.
- 1-1 from a wall: for two 1s side by side starting at a wall or corner, the third cell along (next to the second 1) is safe.
Chording for speed
Once a number has all its mines flagged, click the number itself: all its other neighbours open at once. This is called chording, and it's how fast players clear boards. It's only as safe as your flags, though: chord on a wrongly flagged number and you'll open a mine.
When you have to guess
Minesweeper boards are random, so now and then a position can't be solved by logic: two cells where the mine is equally likely to be in either. When that happens:
- Do every certain move first. Opening other areas may later decide the guess for you.
- Guess where it helps most. Pick a cell that, if safe, is likely to reveal information, rather than an isolated corner.
- Compare the odds. A cell far from any number has roughly the board's overall mine density (mines left ÷ hidden cells left), which is often safer than a 50/50 next to a number.
Practise
Puzzimo has the three classic sizes: Beginner (9×9, 10 mines), Intermediate (16×16, 40 mines) and Expert (30×16, 99 mines), plus a daily challenge. Results are ranked by time. On a phone, switch between Reveal and Flag with the mode button.
Frequently asked questions
What does the 1-2-1 pattern mean in Minesweeper?
Along a flat edge of revealed cells, a 1-2-1 sequence has mines under both 1s and a safe cell under the 2. It's one of the most common patterns on every board.
Is Minesweeper always solvable without guessing?
No. Boards are random, so occasionally two cells are equally likely to hide a mine. Experienced players do every certain move first and then guess where the result gives the most information.
What is chording in Minesweeper?
Clicking a number whose mines are all flagged, which opens all its other neighbours at once. It saves a lot of clicks, but a wrong flag will set off a mine.