Minesweeper patterns: how to win minesweeper

Minesweeper looks like luck, but it’s almost all logic. Once you know what the numbers tell you and a handful of patterns, most boards clear themselves.

The rules in short

• The board is a grid of covered squares. Some hide mines.
• Dig a square to open it. If it’s a mine, you lose. If not, it shows a number: how many mines touch it, counting diagonals (up to 8).
• A square with no mines around it opens all its neighbors automatically, which is how big areas open at once.
• Flag squares you know are mines.
• You win when every safe square is open.

The two basic rules

Almost every move comes from one of these:

1. All hidden neighbors are mines. If a 1 has exactly one covered square next to it, that square is a mine. If a 3 has exactly three covered neighbors, they’re all mines. Flag them.
2. All mines are found, so the rest is safe. If a 2 already touches two flags, every other covered square around it is safe. Open them.

Chording

When a number already has all its flags, click the number itself (in Mine Hunt, click or tap the number) to open all its other neighbors in one go. It’s the fastest way to clear.

The patterns

Patterns are just the two basic rules applied to several numbers at once. They show up again and again along walls and the edges of the opened area.

1-1 along a wall

Two 1s side by side along an edge: the mine for the first 1 is one of its two squares, and it’s the same mine the second 1 sees. So the square just past the second 1 is safe.

1-2

A 1 next to a 2 along an edge: the 2 needs two mines, but one of its squares is shared with the 1 (which only has one mine). So the square on the far side of the 2 must be a mine.

1-2-1

Three numbers 1, 2, 1 in a row along a wall: the mines are under the two 1s, and the square under the 2 is safe. It’s the most famous pattern of all.

1-2-2-1

Four numbers 1, 2, 2, 1 along a wall: the mines are under the two 2s, and the squares under the 1s are safe.

Reducing numbers

If a number already touches some flags, subtract them: a 3 with one flag next to it behaves like a 2 for the squares that are still covered. Reduce numbers this way and the patterns above appear everywhere.

Tips to win at minesweeper

1. Start where the information is. The edges of the first opened area, especially 1s next to covered squares, give the quickest answers.
2. Flag only what you’ve proven. A wrong flag makes a number look satisfied when it isn’t, and chording on it will set off a mine.
3. Work in one area at a time. Clearing one corner usually opens enough numbers to solve the next.
4. Use chording a lot. It saves dozens of clicks on bigger boards.
5. Count the mines at the end. The mine counter tells you how many are left, which can decide the last few squares.

Play minesweeper online

Mine Hunt is classic minesweeper, free in your browser with no ads. Choose Easy (9×9, 10 mines), Medium (24 mines) or Hard (45 mines). Your first dig is always safe, and every board is checked by a logic solver, so you’ll never have to guess. Your best time is saved for each difficulty.