Minesweeper Rules

Objective:

The objective in Minesweeper is to uncover all non-mined (empty) cells on the game board.

Setup:

A certain quantity of mines are randomly distributed across the board, at most one per cell. You start the game with all cells covered, and it's your mission to uncover all empty cells. When starting a new game, you choose the board dimensions and quantity of mines:

The four corners of the board are never mined; you can safely start the game by revealing each of the corners.

Moves:

• Click or tap a cell to reveal what lies underneath. Revealed cells might contain a number: This is the total number of mines in the eight adjacent cells. If you uncover a mine, it explodes in your face and you lose the game instantly.
• Mark a cell as a suspected mine by right-clicking or long-tapping it.

Winning:

You win the game of Minesweeper when you have correctly uncovered all empty cells.

Strategy and Hints:

• To disentangle an area, it's often easier to start reading from one edge to the other, rather than from the middle.
• Feel stuck in one area? Try working on a different area. Eventually your successes will connect back and may provide you with crucial hints.
• Feeling wild? At the beginning of a game, try revealing several random cells; if you succeed, then those reveals may help you later in the game, especially if you hit upon a vein of empty cells. And if you push your luck too far and accidentally reveal a mine, you can always start another game...
• Whether or not you mark suspected mines is up to you. Attempting to win a game without marking even one mine is a good mental exercise. Go ahead — you can do it!