Minesweeper Cheat Sheet: Complete Reference

Every rule, pattern, shortcut, and formula you need — on one page. Bookmark it or keep it open while you play on Minesweeper Blast.

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Difficulty Settings

Difficulty	Grid	Mines	Cells	Mine Density
Beginner	9 × 9	10	81	12.3%
Intermediate	16 × 16	40	256	15.6%
Expert	30 × 16	99	480	20.6%

When to move up: When your win rate at the current difficulty exceeds 50% consistently.

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The Core Rule

Each number = count of mines in the 8 surrounding cells.

That is all of Minesweeper. Everything else is applying that rule systematically.

The Two Deduction Rules

Rule	Condition	Conclusion
Mine Rule	Number = unrevealed neighbour count	All unrevealed neighbours are mines — flag them
Safe Rule	Number = flagged neighbour count	All unflagged unrevealed neighbours are safe — click them (or chord)

Neighbour Counts by Position

Cell Position	Max Neighbours
Interior	8
Edge (non-corner)	5
Corner	3

Corner and edge positions give more constrained deductions — a “2” in a corner needs 2 mines from only 3 cells.

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Controls

Desktop (Mouse)

Action	Input
Reveal cell	Left-click
Flag / unflag mine	Right-click
Chord (reveal satisfied number’s safe neighbours)	Both-click or middle-click on a number
New game	Click smiley face
New game (keyboard)	F2

Desktop (Keyboard)

Action	Key
Move cursor	Arrow keys
Reveal cell	Enter or Space
Flag cell	F
New game	F2

Full keyboard shortcut list →

Mobile / Touch

Action	Input
Reveal cell	Tap
Flag / unflag mine	Long-press (hold ~0.5s)
Chord	Tap a satisfied number
Zoom in	Pinch-to-zoom or landscape mode

Mobile tips and touch controls →

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Pattern Quick Reference

Patterns are the building blocks of fast solving. Each pattern gives a guaranteed conclusion — no guessing required.

Wall Patterns (cells along board edges)

Pattern	Looks Like	Conclusion
1-1-X	1 1 ? along a wall	Cell beyond the second 1 is safe
1-2-X	1 2 ? along a wall	Cell beyond the 2 is a mine
1-2-1	1 2 1 along a wall	Mines are under the two outer 1s
1-2-2-1	1 2 2 1 along a wall	Mines are under both end cells
1-2-1 pinch	1 2 1 in open space	Corner mine positions identified
1-3-1 corner	1 3 1 at a board corner	Both outer cells are mines

Corner Patterns

Pattern	Conclusion
Corner	Number in corner with few unknowns → all or none are mines
1-1 corner	Two 1s meeting at a corner → the shared cell is the mine
2-2-2 corner	Three 2s at corner → specific mine arrangement forced

General Patterns

Pattern	Conclusion
Reduction	Subtract flag count from a number — treat it as a smaller number. A “3” with 2 flags acts like a “1.”
Subset (mine)	If number A’s unknown region is a subset of number B’s, and A’s count = B’s count, then B’s extra cells are all safe
Subset (safe)	If A’s unknown region is a subset of B’s, and B’s count = A’s count, then all extra cells in B’s region are safe
Chain	Flag → chord → new numbers → flag → chord — cascade solving
T-pattern	Three numbers in a T-shape → specific mine placement forced
Wall-edge	Number at wall with constrained unknowns → direct mine/safe deduction

Full interactive pattern library with diagrams →

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Probability Quick Reference

When no definite deduction is possible, probability tells you which cell is safest to click.

Mine Density at Each Difficulty

Difficulty	Overall Mine %	Typical Opening Density	Endgame Density
Beginner	12.3%	8–10%	20–30%
Intermediate	15.6%	10–12%	25–40%
Expert	20.6%	13–16%	30–50%

Corner-First Opening

Clicking a corner cell first gives the highest probability of revealing a blank (zero-mine) cell and triggering a large cascade:

• Corner cells have only 3 neighbours vs 5 (edge) or 8 (interior)
• A “0” in the corner cascades across 3 to 8+ cells immediately
• Even a numbered corner cell gives more constrained deductions than interior cells

50/50 Situations

A 50/50 occurs when two unrevealed cells must contain exactly 1 mine but no information distinguishes them. On random boards, this requires a guess. On no-guess boards (like Minesweeper Blast), 50/50s never occur — every board has a logical solution.

Signs you are in a real 50/50:

• Two cells share a single “1” as their only constraint
• No other numbers touch either cell
• Mine counter cannot distinguish them globally

If you are on a no-guess board and appear to be in a 50/50, look again — there is always more information elsewhere.

Full probability guide →

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Mine Counter Formula

$$\text{Remaining mines} = \text{Total mines} - \text{Flags placed}$$

The mine counter shown in-game tracks this automatically. In the endgame, use the mine counter to constrain isolated regions:

• If 3 mines remain and one isolated region has exactly 3 unknowns → all 3 are mines
• If 0 mines remain and unknowns exist → all remaining unknowns are safe

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3BV — Board Complexity Score

3BV (Bechtel’s Board Benchmark Value) is the minimum number of clicks required to solve a board. It normalises times across boards of different complexity.

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

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+

Use 3BV/s (not raw time) to compare performance across different boards and difficulties fairly.

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Speed Benchmarks

Skill Level	Beginner	Intermediate	Expert
Just starting	> 60s	> 200s	> 500s
Beginner	20–60s	80–200s	200–500s
Casual	10–20s	45–80s	120–200s
Good	5–10s	25–45s	70–120s
Advanced	3–5s	15–25s	45–70s
Elite	< 3s	< 15s	< 45s
World class	< 1s	< 7s	< 30s

Full benchmark analysis →

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Opening Move Strategy

Goal: Reveal as many cells as safely possible in the first few seconds.

1. Click a corner — highest cascade probability, fewest mines nearby
2. If blank: follow the cascade edge, clicking at corners of the revealed region
3. If numbered: look for immediate deductions (Rule 1 or Rule 2) before moving on
4. Never flag on the opening move — flagging slows you down at a stage where no deductions are available yet

Full opening strategy guide →

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Mid-Game Strategy

1. Chord every satisfied number — do not click individual cells when chordin reveals them in one move
2. Scan the entire border before assuming anything is a 50/50 — information from distant numbers often resolves apparent ambiguities
3. Reduce numbers — mentally subtract flags from nearby numbers to simplify deductions
4. Apply wall patterns first — they give guaranteed results quickly
5. Use subset logic — when two numbers share exactly the same unknown cells, compare their counts

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Endgame Strategy

The endgame is when fewer than ~10–15% of cells remain unrevealed.

1. Check the mine counter first — remaining mine count often forces global solutions
2. Map isolated regions — group unrevealed cells into connected components
3. Apply mine-count constraint globally — mines must distribute across all isolated regions
4. Click safest region last — if a guess is unavoidable, use probability to minimise risk
5. Chord aggressively — one chord often triggers a chain that clears the rest

Full endgame strategy guide →

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Common Mistakes

Mistake	Fix
Guessing when the board is solvable	Scan the entire boundary — information is usually available
Over-flagging (flagging mines you do not need to chord)	Only flag when a flag enables a chord or tracks a mine you will use
Tunnel vision (fixating on one corner)	Sweep the border systematically, left to right or clockwise
Ignoring the mine counter	Always check it when entering the endgame
Playing the same difficulty indefinitely	Move up when win rate exceeds 50%
Clicking slowly to be “careful”	Speed and accuracy improve together — move faster deliberately

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Learning Pathway

Stage	What to Learn	Resource
1	How the game works	Rules
2	What numbers mean	Numbers Explained
3	Core patterns	Pattern Library
4	Chording technique	Chording Guide
5	Strategy system	Strategy Guide
6	Speed improvement	Speed Guide
7	Practice drills	Practice Drills
8	Competitive play	Competitive Guide

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Key Links

• Play Minesweeper Blast — free, no-guess boards, daily challenges
• Daily Challenge — three puzzles per day
• Solver — get help with any board
• Glossary — every term defined
• FAQ — common questions answered
• Probability Guide — the maths behind every click