Minesweeper: turn numbers into decisions
A number does not point to one particular mine. It counts the mines around it. Information emerges when you compare clues.
2 min · RafaGonMar · October 20, 2026
What each number means
A cell marked 2 has exactly two mines among cells touching its sides or corners. Edge cells have fewer neighbors, but the meaning does not change. An empty cell has no surrounding mines.
The opening move
Pausa places mines after your first click, excluding that cell and its neighbors. Your opening therefore reveals a safe area. This does not guarantee that every later position can be resolved without a choice between possibilities.
Flags are your notes
The game does not certify that a flag is correct. Marking a guess and later treating it as a certainty can lead to an invalid deduction. Flag what you can justify, or keep the uncertainty in mind.
Two basic deductions
- If the number of remaining mines equals the number of unopened neighbors, all those neighbors are mines.
- If you have identified every mine required by a number, its other unopened neighbors are safe.
Playing on a phone
Enable Flag before tapping a cell you want to mark, then disable it to reveal cells again. On a computer, right-click flags a cell. Winning requires opening all safe cells: placing as many flags as there are mines is not enough.
Open neighbors from a clue
With Flag off, press an open number. When the number of neighboring flags matches its clue, the remaining unflagged neighbors open. An outline shows when this shortcut is available. The check counts flags rather than proving them correct: a misplaced flag can leave a mine unmarked and lose the game when the shortcut reveals it.