mobiMinesweeper patterns and how to win
Minesweeper looks like luck until you learn to read the numbers. This guide covers what they mean, the two rules behind almost every move, the four patterns worth knowing by sight, and how to clear a board fast. The opening shown is a real board from our game, and every mine and safe square marked in the diagrams is proved from the numbers.
What the numbers mean
Every square is either a mine or safe. When you open a safe square, it shows how many mines touch it, counting all eight squares around it, diagonals included. A 1 means exactly one of its neighbours is a mine; a 3 means three are. A blank square touches no mines, so the game opens all its neighbours for you, which is why one tap can clear a big patch.
Our board is the classic Beginner size: 9 by 9 with 10 mines. Your first tap is always safe, because the mines are laid only after it, and never on that square or the eight around it. Here is a real first tap in the middle of a board:
The two rules
Nearly every move in Minesweeper comes from one of two rules.
Rule 1: if a number touches exactly that many hidden squares, they are all mines. The 2 at row 3, column 7 touches only 2 hidden squares, row 2, column 6 and row 3, column 6. It needs 2 mines, so both are mines. Flag them.
Rule 2: if a number already touches that many mines, every other square around it is safe. The 1 at row 1, column 7 touches the mine you just found at row 2, column 6. That is all the mines it can have, so row 1, column 6 is safe to open.
Play is a loop of the two: flag what rule 1 proves, open what rule 2 proves, and read the new numbers that appear.
What one tap tells you
Work that first opening all the way through, with the two rules, the patterns below and a little patience, and its numbers alone prove 7 of the 10 mines and 11 more squares you can open without any risk. No guessing needed yet.
Four patterns to know by sight
Rows of numbers along a wall of hidden squares come up again and again. These four shapes solve themselves once you recognise them. In each diagram the bottom row is the edge of what you have opened, and faded squares are just the board carrying on.
The 1-1 against the edge
Two 1s side by side, starting at the edge of the board. The first 1 touches only the two squares above it, so one of those is its mine. The second 1 touches those same two squares, so its one mine is already accounted for. Everything else the second 1 touches is safe: the third square along, both above the line and on it.
The 1-2
A 1 next to a 2. Whatever mine the 1 has sits in squares the 2 also touches, so it gives the 2 at most one of its mines. The 2 needs one more, and the only place left is the square it touches that the 1 doesn’t: the one on the far side.
The 1-2-1
A 2 between two 1s. Use the 1-2 logic from both ends: each end finds a mine above the far 1. So the mines are directly above both 1s, and the square above the 2, plus the squares beyond each end, are safe.
The 1-2-2-1
Two 2s between two 1s. Here the mines sit above the two 2s, and the squares above the 1s are safe. Spot it and you can flag two mines and open two squares without thinking.
These work on any straight edge: the bottom of a cleared area, a side, or the edge of the board, in any direction.
How to win, and win fast
- Chord. Once a number has all its mines flagged, tap the number itself to open every other square around it at once. On our board it is the biggest time saver there is.
- Only flag what you need. A flag is worth placing when it lets you chord. Mines you will never chord around can be left alone.
- Work along the edge you just opened. New numbers appear next to the squares you cleared, so that is where the next move usually is.
- Count mines at the end. The counter shows how many mines are left unflagged. With a few squares to go, that number often settles the last decision.
- Clear every safe square.You win when every square that isn’t a mine is open. You don’t need to flag the mines at all.
When you have to guess
Classic Minesweeper lays its mines at random, so some boards reach a point where the numbers genuinely can’t tell two squares apart. That isn’t a failure of logic, and it happens to the best players. Before you guess, check the rules and patterns one more time around every edge: most “stuck” boards have a move left.
If you really must guess, guess earlyrather than at the end, so a bad guess costs less time. And pick the square that would tell you the most if it’s safe, one that would open new numbers next to the squares you are stuck on, rather than a random square in the corner.
Minesweeper questions
What do the numbers mean in Minesweeper?
A number tells you how many mines touch that square, counting all eight squares around it: up, down, left, right and the four diagonals. A blank open square touches no mines at all, which is why the game opens its neighbours for you.
Is the first click in Minesweeper always safe?
In our Minesweeper, yes. The mines are only laid after your first tap, and never on that square or the eight around it, so your first tap always opens up some room to work with.
Can every Minesweeper board be solved without guessing?
No. Classic Minesweeper lays its mines at random, and now and then the numbers genuinely can't tell two squares apart. When that happens, pick the square that gives you the most information if it is safe, and make the guess as early as you can.
What is chording in Minesweeper?
When a number already has all of its mines flagged, tapping it clears every other square around it in one go. It is the single biggest time saver in the game.