About Minesweeper
Minesweeper is a logic puzzle about clearing a hidden minefield. Each opened square tells you how many mines touch it, including diagonally. You use those clues to decide which covered squares are safe and which deserve a flag. Logic “mine” puzzles appeared on home computers in the early 1980s, and the genre became widely known as a bundled PC game in the 1990s. This version uses a quiet dark board and a shared Daily challenge.
How to play
Choose Beginner (9 by 9 with 10 mines), Intermediate (16 by 16 with 40), Expert (30 rows by 16 columns with 99), or Daily (an Intermediate board based on the UTC date). In regular modes, your first reveal opens a mine-free area. Daily starts with a seeded zero cell already open. The timer begins with your first reveal after the board appears. Open every safe square to win; the remaining mines are then flagged automatically. Opening a mine ends the round. The counter shows mines minus flags, so it can go below zero if you place too many flags.
On a phone, tap to dig or hold a cell for about 350 milliseconds to flag it. The Dig / Flag switch changes what taps do; a hold performs the opposite action. You can always see the selected mode above the board. On a computer, left-click to dig and right-click to flag. Tap or click an already open number to chord: if the number of nearby flags matches the clue, all other covered neighbors open. A wrong flag can make a chord hit a mine. Keyboard players can use arrows to move the focus ring, Space or Enter to use the selected action, F to switch between Dig and Flag, and N to start a new game.
Tips
Opening a corner or edge can make a small set of clues easier to read, though no opening position guarantees a win. Flag only cells you know are mines. If a 1 touches exactly one unopened cell, that cell is a mine; if the mine is already flagged, its other neighbors are safe. The familiar 1-2-1 and 1-2-2-1 patterns can resolve strips of covered cells when their outside neighbors are known clear, but always check the surrounding clues before applying a pattern. Chording saves time once your flags are certain. Sometimes the clues leave more than one valid placement and you must guess; pick the option with the best odds you can infer.
FAQ
Is it free?
Yes. Every mode is free in your browser, with no account or download.
Is the first click safe?
In regular modes, yes: the first revealed square and its neighbors are clear. Daily opens a safe zero cell for you before play.
What is chording?
Tap or click an open number after placing the same number of adjacent flags. Its other covered neighbors open together; a wrong flag can uncover a mine.
What is the Daily board?
It is an Intermediate board seeded by today's UTC date, so everyone receives the same mine layout and opening on the same day. Your browser remembers your best result for today.
Does it work on phones?
Yes. The board and controls fit touch screens; Expert can scroll within its board area.