Frequently asked questions
Common questions about minesweeper and how this site works.
Is the first click always safe?
On this site, yes — your opening click can never be a mine. The mines are placed only after your first move, so the game guarantees a safe start and usually opens a useful area to reason from. This is the standard behaviour in modern minesweeper; some very old versions did not do it, which is why the classic game occasionally lost you on click one.
Is guessing ever required?
Almost never. The vast majority of safe squares can be proven by logic — counting each number's neighbors and comparing overlapping numbers. The one exception is a true 50/50, where two covered squares are equally likely to hold the last mine and no clue can break the tie. Those are rare on the easier boards, and even on expert most apparent 50/50s dissolve once you recount a nearby number or check the total mine counter.
What do the numbers actually mean?
A number on a revealed square tells you how many mines are hidden in the eight squares that touch it — including the diagonals. A 3 means exactly three of its neighbors are mines. A blank square means none of its neighbors are mines, which is why the game can safely reveal all of them for you in a cascade. That single rule is the whole puzzle.
Do I have to flag every mine to win?
No. You win the moment every safe square is revealed, whether or not the mines are flagged. Flagging is a tool for keeping track and for enabling chording, not a win condition. Many speed players flag very little and simply reveal everything that is provably safe. That said, flagging the mines you are sure of keeps the board readable and is usually worth it for beginners.
What is chording, and why do players use it?
Chording is clicking on a revealed number that already has the right count of flags around it, which instantly reveals all of its remaining covered neighbors at once. It turns several clicks into one and is the main reason fast players clear boards so quickly. The catch: if any flag around the number is wrong, chording reveals a real mine and ends the game. Our solving techniques guide covers it in detail.
Why do I keep losing on the last few cells?
Usually it is one of two things. Either there is a genuine 50/50 at the end — bad luck, and unavoidable — or, far more often, there was a provable safe square you missed and you guessed instead. Before guessing on the final cells, recount every edge number and compare the total mine counter against the covered squares left. Late-game positions often resolve completely once you bring the global mine count into the reasoning.
Are bigger boards always harder?
Not exactly. A larger board with more mines takes longer and offers more chances to slip, but difficulty is really about mine densityand how often forced guesses arise. Expert boards are hard mainly because they are densely mined, which produces tighter, riskier situations — not simply because there are more squares. A sparse large board can be more relaxing than a cramped small one.
Do I need to be good at math?
No. The numbers are not sums to calculate — they just count nearby mines, never more than eight. Solving is spatial deduction: working out where mines can and cannot be, given everything the numbers tell you. If you can count to eight and compare two small numbers, you have all the arithmetic minesweeper will ever ask of you.
How is a "daily" minesweeper different?
The daily board is a single fresh game that everyone sees on the same day — the same layout for every player, swapped out at midnight. Because it is shared, it gives you something to compare and a reason to come back: solve it each day and you build a streak. It is the same kind of game as free play, just curated as the one-a-day challenge.
Do I need an account or app to play?
No account, download, or payment is needed. Every board runs instantly in your browser, on desktop or mobile, and it is free. Your daily streak is kept on your device, so you can simply open the page and start clearing mines.
New here? Start with the beginner's guide, then sharpen up with our solving techniques.
Got it — ready to play?