How to play Minesweeper

What you need

Minesweeper is played on a grid of covered squares. A number of mines are hidden under some of the squares. You are told how many mines there are, but not where they are.

The aim

Uncover every square that does not have a mine under it. If you uncover a mine, the game ends.

Uncovering squares

Tap a square to uncover it. Most versions make sure your first tap is safe; here the mines are placed only after your first tap, so that square and the eight around it are always clear and open up an area. Blank squares automatically open up their neighbours.

When you uncover a safe square, you will see either:

• a number from 1 to 8, telling you how many mines are in the squares touching it, or
• a blank, meaning no mines touch it.

Each square touches up to eight others: above, below, left, right and the four corners. Squares on the edge and in the corners touch fewer.

Flagging mines

When you have worked out that a square hides a mine, you can mark it with a flag. On a computer this is usually a right click; on a phone or tablet it is usually a long press. Here you can also switch on Flag mode, so that every tap places or removes a flag. Flagged squares cannot be uncovered by accident.

Flagging is optional, but it makes the puzzle much easier to follow.

Using the numbers

Here are the two basic ideas behind almost every move.

Finding mines. If a 1 has only one covered square next to it, that square must be a mine. More generally, if a number equals the count of covered squares around it, they are all mines.

Finding safe squares. If a number already has that many flags around it, all its other covered neighbours are safe. For example, a 2 with two flags next to it has no more mines nearby.

Many versions let you tap an uncovered number that has the right number of flags around it to uncover all its other neighbours at once. This is sometimes called chording.

Winning

You win when every safe square has been uncovered. Many versions record your time, but there is no clock here, so take as long as you like. If you do uncover a mine, you can take that move back and carry on.

Common patterns

• 1-1 at an edge: next to a wall, a 1 beside another 1 often tells you the third square along is safe.
• 1-2-1: along a straight line, the mines sit next to the 1s, not the 2.
• 1-2-2-1: the mines sit next to the two 2s.

You will start to recognise these shapes with practice, and the game becomes much quicker.

Tips for beginners

• Start in the middle. Your first tap is more likely to open a big area.
• Never guess if you can avoid it. Look around the whole board for a safe move first.
• Work from the edges of open areas. That is where the numbers give you the most information.
• Use flags. They help you keep track and avoid accidents.
• Count the mines. Near the end, the total number of mines left can solve the last few squares.