The Guinness record for the fastest completion of three difficulties in Minesweeper stands at a little over 38 seconds. The record was set by Kamil Muranski in 2014. Although a decade passed, no other human bested this score. However, with a new surge of Minesweeper popularity and AI assistants, the record might soon be broken.
Minesweeper is an epic game that has been around for almost four decades. The game first gained its momentum in 1990 with the Entertainment Pack by Windows. Today, it has spread across smartphones, tablets, and the Internet.
Minesweeper online game tests player’s wits against other players in tournaments and AI in home settings. In this article, you will learn more about the logic behind Minesweeper, mistakes to avoid, and strategies to improve your time and completion chances in this epic game.
How to Avoid the 3 Most Common Minesweeper Mistakes
As soon as you eliminate a few common mistakes, you will start improving your minesweeper solving times. They are simple pitfalls, yet everyone at least once fell for them. You need patience, attention to detail, and a strategy to ace and never repeat them.
1. Random Clicking
As a newcomer or someone who never looked into Minesweeper mechanics, you might fall into the trap of just clicking randomly on every square. There’s no shame in admitting this shortcoming — everyone who played this game at least once tried it. However, pure luck won’t save you in Minesweeper, as you soon will learn.
Numbers from 1 to 8 are there to help you find a mine. They indicated how many cells have mines nearby. You can start building strategies with that knowledge alone.
2. Misinterpreting Numbers
One of the popular mistakes is misreading open numbers. It can lead a player into deep waters. You shouldn’t rush, and plan every move carefully.
To interpret numbers the right way, you should start seeing patterns. For example, the most common pattern in Minesweeper that almost always becomes visible after the first click is the number “1” next to one unopened square. It means that there is a mine you can flag. You should start working your way around it. If there are other “1” near a flagged square, you can safely open every other unflagged square around it.
3. Rushing the Game
Rushing is not what you want as a beginner. It increases the chances of you clinking on a square with a mine because you didn’t allow yourself to rule out all the possibilities.
As a beginner, you can’t just be fast and succeed in Minesweeper – that’s not how our brain works. You must have a strategy in mind and practice moves for hours first. Before taking any risk, you should think twice and maybe even switch to solving the other part of the field.
Minesweeper’s 5 Pro Guide Strategies to Stay Alive
In Minesweeper, you should use strategies to solve this bomb puzzle quickly. Those will take skills like pattern recognition, careful planning, and logical thinking from you.
1. Open Corners First
At the beginning of each game, you will have corners. Those are areas with fewer adjusted closed cells. They are easier to solve because they provide information if there might be booms nearby.
If you see a corner and any number next to it, it’s most likely a cell with a mine. For example, if you have the number “2” near the corner and only three unopened cells around that number, there is a 66% chance of mine in that corner cell if you have no other information.
2. Use Flags Effectively
Flags help you note where the mine is, so you don’t have to keep it in your memory. To place a flag on a cell, you have two options:
- Place a cursor on top of the cell with a mine by using your mouse and press the right button.
- Place a cursor on top of the cell with a mine and press the “F” key on your keyboard.
After doing so, a red flag will appear on top of the cell you chose.
3. Process of Elimination
To find where a mine lies, you can use a tactic of elimination. You should look for open cells, closed cells, and available numbers. Then, use that knowledge for pattern recognition like 1-2-2-1 patterns. That way, you will know where not to click with your left mouse button.
4. Read the Numbers
In Minesweeper, you can find numbers from 1 to 8 by uncovering a close cell. While numbers 6, 7 and 8 are rare and usually reserved for the hardest difficulty level, you can encounter other numbers right from your first click.
The secret is always to read numbers and compare them to the number of unopened cells. For example, if you have the number “5” and five unopened cells around it — they are all mines.
5. Patience is Key
As the saying goes, “Patience makes perfect,” so it does in Minesweeper. Knowing alone will not get you far if you blow everything away with one hasty move.
You should stay calm even in the most difficult cases. If you panic, your heart rate increases, so you are less likely to find the optimal solution. By practicing regularly, you will wire your brain to find solutions faster. All it takes is time and resilience.
You should not limit yourself to these five strategies. However, they can serve as a perfect start in your Minesweeper journey.
Special Tips to Survive Minesweeper Every Time
Minesweeper is a strategic game that needs to think practically and without unnecessary moves. By learning the basics and practicing strategies, everyone can improve their Minesweeper time and possibly become the next champion of this classic game.