Objective: Clear all cells that don't contain mines without detonating any. The game ends when you either reveal a mine (loss) or successfully reveal all safe cells (win).
Basic Controls:
- Left-click (Desktop) / Tap in Dig Mode (Mobile): Reveal a hidden cell. If it's a mine, you lose. If it's safe, you'll see either a number or an empty space.
- Right-click (Desktop) / Tap in Flag Mode (Mobile): Place or remove a flag on a hidden cell to mark suspected mines.
- Click a revealed number: If you've placed the correct number of flags around it, all remaining hidden neighbors will be revealed automatically (this is called "chording" — an advanced technique).
Understanding Numbers:
- Each number tells you exactly how many mines are in the 8 surrounding cells (horizontally, vertically, and diagonally).
- A "1" means exactly one mine is adjacent. A "3" means exactly three mines are adjacent, and so on.
- Empty cells (no number) have zero adjacent mines, and clicking them automatically reveals all connected empty cells.
Chording (Advanced Technique):
- When you click on a revealed number, the game checks if you've flagged exactly that many adjacent cells.
- If the flag count matches the number, all unflagged hidden neighbors are revealed at once.
- This speeds up gameplay significantly for experienced players.
- Warning: If you've flagged incorrectly, chording will reveal a mine and end the game!
- On mobile, chording only works in "Dig Mode" to prevent accidental triggers.
Strategy Tips:
- Start by clicking near the center — the first click is always safe and never a mine.
- Look for cells where the number equals the count of hidden neighbors — all those neighbors must be mines.
- Use the process of elimination: if a "1" already has one flagged neighbor, all other neighbors are safe.
- Work from areas with more information (more revealed numbers) toward unknown areas.
- Sometimes you must make educated guesses when logic alone can't determine safety.
Difficulty Levels:
- Beginner (9×9, 10 mines): ~12% mine density. Great for learning the basics.
- Intermediate (16×16, 40 mines): ~16% mine density. Standard challenge level.
- Expert (30×16, 99 mines): ~21% mine density. Requires careful analysis and often some calculated risks.