How to Play Minesweeper

Minesweeper is a classic logic puzzle game that has been entertaining players since the 1960s. The goal is to clear a grid of cells without detonating any hidden mines, using number clues to deduce safe cells.

Game Rules

• The grid contains hidden mines randomly placed throughout
• Left-click a cell to reveal what's underneath
• Right-click a cell to place a flag marking it as a suspected mine
• If you reveal a mine, you lose the game
• If you reveal an empty cell, it shows a number indicating how many mines are in the 8 surrounding cells
• If there are no mines nearby (0), adjacent cells automatically reveal
• Use the numbers to logically deduce where mines must be located
• Flag all mines and reveal all safe cells to win

Difficulty Levels

• Easy: 9×9 grid with 10 mines (12% mine density)
• Medium: 16×16 grid with 40 mines (16% mine density)
• Hard: 16×30 grid with 99 mines (21% mine density)

Understanding the Numbers

When you reveal a cell, you might see a number from 1 to 8. This number tells you exactly how many mines are hidden in the eight cells surrounding that number (horizontally, vertically, and diagonally).

• If a cell shows "1", there's exactly one mine in the surrounding 8 cells
• If a cell shows "3", there are three mines in the surrounding 8 cells
• If a cell is blank (no number), there are zero mines nearby, and all surrounding cells are safe

Winning Strategies

• Start with the Corners: Begin by clicking in corners or edges where you have more control over the number of surrounding cells.
• Look for Obvious Patterns: If a cell shows "1" and there's only one unrevealed neighbor, that neighbor must be a mine.
• Use the 1-2 Pattern: When you see a "1" next to a "2", and the "1" touches one unrevealed cell while the "2" touches three unrevealed cells (with one shared), the two cells exclusive to the "2" must be mines.
• Flag Mines Immediately: When you're certain a cell contains a mine, flag it. This helps you keep track of known mines.
• Count Remaining Mines: Keep an eye on the mine counter. As you flag mines, this helps you deduce remaining mine locations.
• Don't Guess Early: Only make random guesses as a last resort. Usually, there's a logical deduction you can make.
• Work from Revealed Areas: Focus on cells near already-revealed numbers rather than randomly clicking in unrevealed areas.

Common Patterns

The 1-1 Pattern

When two "1"s are next to each other sharing three common unrevealed cells, the mine must be in one of those three cells. The cells not shared by both "1"s are safe.

The 1-2-1 Pattern

A "2" flanked by two "1"s often indicates that the two mines are in the cells directly adjacent to the "2" and not shared with the "1"s.

Edge and Corner Patterns

Cells along edges and in corners have fewer neighbors, making them easier to solve. A "1" in a corner with only three possible neighbors means each has a 33% chance of being a mine.

Tips for Beginners

• Start with Easy difficulty to learn the basic patterns
• Don't rush - take your time to analyze the numbers carefully
• Use flags liberally to mark known mines
• If you're stuck, look for cells where you can narrow down mine locations mathematically
• Remember that every game is solvable with logic (though sometimes you need to guess)
• Practice makes perfect - the more you play, the faster you'll recognize patterns