Minesweeper Strategy: Patterns and Tips

The two basic rules

• If a number touches exactly as many unopened squares as its value, every one of them is a mine. Flag them.
• If a number already has that many flags around it, every other unopened square around it is safe. Click the number to open them all at once (chording).

Most of a game is repeating these two rules around the edge of the open area.

Patterns worth knowing

These appear along a straight edge of numbers beside a row of unopened squares:

• 1-2-1: the mines are next to the two 1s, and the square next to the 2 is safe.
• 1-2-2-1: the mines are next to the two 2s, and the squares next to the 1s are safe.
• 1-1 against a wall: when a 1 sits at the end of the row next to the edge of the board, its mine is one of the two squares it shares with the next 1, so the third square beside the second 1 is safe.

Patterns are short cuts for the basic rules: subtract the mines you already know about from each number and see what is left.

When you have to guess

Sometimes no number can decide between two squares. Before guessing, open every square you can prove is safe elsewhere on the board, since new numbers may settle it. If not, guess early rather than late, so a lost game costs less time.

Speed

Use chording instead of clicking squares one by one, and only flag mines you need for chording. Play Minesweeper; your best time for each level is saved in your browser.