Daily Challenges
By Mike Burn

Minesweeper Cheat Sheet: Quick Reference

Everything you need to know about Minesweeper on a single page. Bookmark this, print it, or keep it open while you play on Minesweeper Blast.

Difficulty Settings

Difficulty Grid Mines Mine Density
Beginner 9 × 9 10 12.3%
Intermediate 16 × 16 40 15.6%
Expert 30 × 16 99 20.6%

What the Numbers Mean

Each number tells you how many of its 8 neighbors contain mines. A “1” means exactly 1 adjacent mine, “2” means exactly 2, and so on up to “8.”

If a number equals the count of adjacent covered cells, every covered neighbor is a mine.
If a number equals the count of adjacent flags, every covered, unflagged neighbor is safe (→ chord it).

Core Controls

Action Mouse Keyboard
Reveal cell Left-click Arrow keys + Enter/Space
Flag mine Right-click Arrow keys + F
Chord (reveal safe neighbors) Click both buttons / middle-click on satisfied number —
New game Click smiley / F2 F2

Full keyboard shortcut list →

Essential Patterns

Wall Patterns (1D, along borders)

Pattern What It Tells You
1-1-X 1-1 along wall → cell beyond second 1 is safe
1-2-X 1-2 along wall → cell beyond 2 is a mine
1-2-1 1-2-1 along wall → mines under the two 1s
1-1-1 1-1-1 along wall → mine under the center 1

General Patterns

Pattern What It Tells You
Reduction Subtract known flags from a number to simplify it
Chain Flag → chord → new info → flag → chord… cascade
Clumping High numbers cluster mines; low numbers spread them

Advanced / Trick Patterns

Pattern What It Tells You
T1: Double Constraint Two numbers sharing cells → combined deduction
T2: Range Reasoning Min/max mine count in a region eliminates options
T3: Bridging Distant numbers linked through a common zone
T4: Parity Odd/even analysis of isolated regions
T5: Mutual Exclusion If A is a mine then contradiction → A is safe

Full pattern library →

Mine Counting Formula

Remaining mines = Total mines − Flags placed

Always visible in the mine counter. In the endgame, this constrains how mines can be distributed across isolated regions.

Quick Strategy Rules

  1. Click corners first — larger cascade on average (opening strategy)
  2. Scan borders — wall patterns resolve most of the board
  3. Chord everything you can — satisfied numbers reveal neighbors for free (chording guide)
  4. Don’t guess early — scan the entire board before assuming a position is ambiguous
  5. Reduce numbers — a “3” next to 2 flags behaves like a “1” (reduction pattern)
  6. Use the mine counter — in the endgame, global mine count solves “impossible” regions
  7. Play no-guess boards — guarantees every position is solvable without guessing (no-guess guide)

Speed Benchmarks at a Glance

Skill Level Beginner Intermediate Expert
Beginning > 30 s > 120 s > 300 s
Casual 15–30 s 60–120 s 150–300 s
Good 5–15 s 30–60 s 80–150 s
Advanced 3–5 s 20–30 s 50–80 s
Elite < 3 s < 20 s < 50 s

Full benchmark tables →

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake Fix
Guessing when the board is solvable Scan the entire boundary; try no-guess boards
Over-flagging (flagging obvious mines instead of chording) Flag only when it enables a chord
Tunnel vision (staring at one spot) Sweep the border systematically (speed guide)
Ignoring the mine counter Check it whenever you enter the endgame
Playing the same difficulty forever Move up when your win rate exceeds 50%

Key Formulas

3BV (Bechtel’s Board Benchmark Value): minimum clicks to solve a board. Used to normalize times across boards.

$$3BV/s = \frac{3BV}{\text{time in seconds}}$$

Level Good 3BV/s Elite 3BV/s
Beginner 2.0–3.5 5.0+
Intermediate 2.0–3.0 4.5+
Expert 2.0–3.0 4.0+

Learning Pathway

Rules → Patterns → Chording → Strategy → Speed → Competitive
Stage Resource
Learn the rules Minesweeper Rules
Understand patterns Pattern Library
Master chording Chording Guide
Develop strategy Strategy Guide
Get faster Speed Guide
Check benchmarks Benchmarks
Practice drills Practice Drills
Go competitive Competitive Guide