Logic first, luck last
Minesweeper looks like a game of chance, but most of a board can be solved by reasoning alone. Every number is a promise about the cells around it, and two numbers side by side often settle a cell for certain. Good players aren't braver than others. They read more numbers before they tap. Guessing is sometimes needed, but far less often than new players think.
Read numbers after taking away flags
The most useful habit is to read each number as what's still missing. Take the number and subtract the flags already touching it. Then count the hidden cells still touching it.
- If what's missing equals zero, every other hidden cell around it is safe.
- If what's missing equals the number of hidden cells left, all of them are mines.
So a 3 with two flags around it is really a 1. If it touches only one other hidden cell, that cell is a mine. The Mines counter does the same sum for the whole board. It shows the total mines minus your flags, so it's only right if your flags are.
Patterns worth learning
Some arrangements come up on almost every board. Learn them and you'll clear whole edges at a glance. Each one below is a row of numbers lying against a straight line of hidden cells.
- 1-1 from a wall. A 1 next to the edge of the board, then another 1. The mine for the first 1 lies in the two cells it shares with the second. So the third cell along, touching only the second 1, is safe.
- 1-2-1. The mines sit under the two 1s. The cell under the 2 is safe.
- 1-2-2-1. The mines sit under the two 2s. The cells under the 1s are safe.
Here is a worked case. Say the open area ends in a row reading 1, 2, 1, with three hidden cells directly below. The 2 touches all three hidden cells and needs two mines. The left 1 touches only the left and middle hidden cells. The right 1 touches only the middle and right. If the middle cell were a mine, both 1s would already be satisfied. The left and right cells would then be safe, and the 2 could only reach one mine. So the middle cell is safe, and the two outer cells are mines. Flag both, then tap the 2 to open the rest around it at once.
Errors that end games
- Tapping too fast. Most lost games are lost on a cell the numbers had already marked as a mine. Pause before every tap that isn't certain.
- Trusting a wrong flag. Tapping a number to clear around it opens every unflagged neighbour. A single misplaced flag turns that shortcut into a loss. Only flag what you've proved.
- Guessing too early. Before you guess, check every number along the edge of the open area, including ones far from where you're looking. A safe cell is often waiting elsewhere.
- Guessing badly. When a guess is truly forced, choose the cell with the best odds. A cell touching only low numbers is usually safer than one next to a 3.
Building speed and accuracy
Easy is 9 by 9 with 10 mines. It's sparse, so learn to read numbers and use the flag toggle without hurrying. Medium is 16 by 16 with 40 mines. The patterns above start to appear often, and opening around numbers saves real time. Hard is 30 by 16 with 99 mines, and it's offered only on wider screens. It packs mines much more tightly, so long chains of reasoning and the odd forced guess become part of every game.
Your score after a win is higher on bigger boards and higher still for a quick finish. Hint opens a safe cell for you. It's useful when you're learning, and it's counted, so try to need it less often as you improve. For more pure deduction, Nonograms uses the same habit of proving each cell from the numbers.
