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Minesweeper Tips
ou're probably better off visiting some of the websites listed on the MineLinks page to find strategy and tips for playing Minesweeper, but I really have noticed a few things while playing. So, hopefully, a few of the tips below will help you improve your time and enjoy the game.This page is broken up into three main areas - use the links below to go directly to that section, or just scroll down the page:
Playing Tips Starting Out When I first started playing, I always started each game by just randomly clicking squares until something opened up. This does seem to work, and without doing some serious statistics, I'll say it works just as well as any other method. However, I don't do this anymore. Currently, every time I start a game, I click the square in the top left corner. This will uncover a 1, 2 or 3 numbered square. If you see a 3, then you know each square touching it is a mine. If I get a 1 or 2, I next click the third block down on the left.
From there, I keep going down the left side, clicking every other block, until something opens up. If I make it all the way to the bottom, then I start back at the top and click every other square going right along the first row. By doing this, you either get a good opening to start with, or else you hit a mine and start over. Playing: What to look for It occurred to me that, while playing, corners are your friends. Since these areas have fewer covered squares, it's easier to tell where the mines are. Below are a few examples of corners telling you exactly where mines are:
Likewise, there are a few other common circumstances that can tell you exactly where the mines are (or are not). Each situation is different, depending on the numbered squares involved, but once you understand these, you'll see them in every game you play. And, once you're able to recognize them, they will certainly increase your speed, since you won't have to reason out as many situations.
Using Flags I use flags heavily - in fact, more than I should. I like them because it keep sme from having to remember where the mines are. Also because after you flag a mine, you can both-click (click both mouse buttons at the same time) on the numbered squares around the flag to uncover more non-mine squares. The reason I say I might use it too heavily, though, is because using flags can slow you down. It takes time to flag a mine, which adds to your overall game time. I think this is why an Expert score o 99 seems so far out of reach to me. I'm sure that the people who get those scores only flag the mines they have to, and not every one, like me. For example, none of the flags below needed to be set. They are obviously mines, and therefore just wasted time. Further, in the image on the right, the group of four covered squares in the lower left can even be easily cleared without setting any flags. Using flags sparingly should improve your time, once you get the hang of it.
If you play more than a few games, you're bound to run into a situation where you cannot logically determine where a mine is. Sometimes, you'll have a choice of two covered squares, either one of which could hide a mine. What it boils down to is that, sometimes, you'll guess right, and sometimes you won't.
Minesweeper Quiz
The Levels Minesweeper has four levels that can be played - Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and Custom. While playing a lot, I started to wonder whether the Intermediate and Expert levels were harder just because they were bigger, or because there was a higher percentage of mines (I suspected the latter). And, I thought that if I could figure out the ratio of mined-to-unmined squares, then I could make Custom boards that where the same difficulty level as the three standard levels, but just bigger. So, I set up an Excel spreadsheet, and this is what I found:
In the table above, I assigned the "Difficulty" rating simply by dividing the number of mines by the total number of squares. "Change" refers to how much more difficult the next level up is, compared to the one before it. It seemed to me, then, that the next level beyond Expert would have a Change of 0.07. I used the Custom board to create this next level, as indicated in the table below. Plus, indicated in the table below, based on Difficulty, are the dimensions (width, height, #/mines) to make the largest possible Custom boards with the same difficulty ratings as each of the three standard levels (you know, in case you really like the Beginner level, but the games are just too short). Also, at the end, I worked out the difficultly rating for the maximum settings on the Custom board (which, it turns out, is incredibly hard).
Finally, I wondered just what was the likelihood of clicking on a mine on your second click. With Minesweeper, no matter where you click first, it won't be a mine. The second click, though, could be a safe square or a mine. To figure out what the chance of clicking on a mine with the second click, I just divided the number of remaining safe squares by the total number of squares
Note that the percentages for the three standard boards are the same as the Custom board equivalent. If you are so inclined, you can check my math by downloading my Excel spreadsheet. |
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When in the open, a 2 between two 1's will always mean that the two squares below the 1's hide mines. (see right). This is because, of the three squares touched by the 2 between the 1's, only two of them can be mines. Since the 1's each touch two of these squares, the mine cannot be in the square that is overlapped.
When you have a 1 that is set in to the covered squares, it is usually a good place to drill into the covered squares. In this case, you know that there is a mine under one of the covered squares touched by the second 1 down on the left. Since the 1 immediately to the right of that 1 touches both of these squares, all of the covered squares to the right are safe to uncover. Then, since there is another 1 to the right, then the surrounding covered squares are also safe.
Often during the game, you'll hit a point where there are no safe squares to uncover. In this case, since you have to guess, try to guess somewhere that will most likely help you (providing you don't uncover a mine). I usually look for numbered squares that touches a group of covered squares, where only one of the covered squares can be a mine. Then, if the square you uncover is a 1, you're all set, because any other squares that 1 touches cannot be a mine, giving you safe squares to uncover.
Minesweeper Quiz #1 uses the board at left as if you were playing a game in progress. The object is to click on a "safe" square - one that doesn't cover a mine. Click on any of the covered squares to see if you can figure out which are safe, and where the mines are.
Minesweeper Quiz #2 is the same idea, but a little more difficult (or easier, depending on how you look at it). Again, click on any of the covered squares to see if you can uncover more numbered squares and locate the mines.
