💣 How to play Minesweeper (logic, not luck)
By Miguel Arechaga
Minesweeper looks like a game of luck, but it's actually a pure logic puzzle: almost every move can be deduced. In this guide you'll learn to read the numbers, use flags, and clear the board without resorting to guesswork.
What is Minesweeper?
Minesweeper is a classic where you must uncover every square on a board that doesn't hide a mine. Every safe square you open shows a number: how many mines are touching it. With that information, you deduce where the bombs are hidden.
How to play Minesweeper step by step
- Click any square to uncover it. In our version, the first click is always safe.
- The number that appears tells you how many mines are among the 8 squares surrounding it.
- If you open an empty square (with no number), all the squares around it are automatically revealed too.
- Mark squares you deduce hide a mine with a flag (right-click or the 🚩 button).
- You win once you've uncovered every safe square. You lose if you uncover a mine.
The basic logic: two golden rules
Almost all of Minesweeper is solved with two deductions. First: if a number already has as many flags around it as its value, every other adjacent square is safe and you can open it. Second: if a number has exactly as many closed squares around it as its value, all of those squares are mines and you should flag them.
Combining these two rules, square by square, clears most of the board without any risk. When neither rule applies, look for patterns among neighboring numbers before risking a click.
Tricks for tough boards
- Always start with the open areas: the "1"s and "2"s next to gaps give you the clearest information.
- Flag obvious mines as soon as you spot them; they free up safe squares around them.
- The "1-2-1" pattern in a row almost always signals mines in fixed positions; learn to recognize it.
- If you have to guess, pick the square with the lowest probability of a mine (usually along an edge).
Minesweeper is excellent training for deductive reasoning. The more you play, the faster you'll recognize the patterns and the less you'll rely on luck.
🏆 Time ranking
Minesweeper has its own global ranking: your best time clearing the board without hitting a mine is saved. Go to Ranking, the 🕹️ 1 Player tab, choose "Minesweeper" from the dropdown, and compare your score with other players, synced to your account. For your result to count you need a free account on MundoSudoku (just a username and password, no email required): you can play without one, but without logging in your score won't be saved to the ranking.
