Open every square that has no mine and you win. Open a mine and the game ends there. The numbers on opened squares are what tell you where the mines are.
A number counts the mines in the eight squares touching it. The 3 here means three of its eight neighbours are mines — it does not say which three.
Your first click is always safe. The board is built after you click, and no mine is placed on that square or the eight around it. So the first square is always a 0, and a 0 keeps opening its neighbours.
That square is a mine. Right-click it, or press and hold on a touch screen, to flag it. Flags are only a marker — you can win without placing any.
The 1 in the middle has already found its mine, so the other seven squares are safe. Clicking the number opens them all at once — this is called chording, and it is what separates fast play at expert level.
How you win
Open every square that is not a mine. You do not have to flag anything. The moment the only squares left are mines, the board is done.
Words worth knowing
| Chord | Clicking a number you have fully flagged, to open the rest of its neighbours at once |
|---|---|
| 3BV | The fewest clicks a board can be cleared in. Time alone mixes in luck, so this is read alongside it |
| 50/50 | Two squares left with nothing to tell them apart. Boards here never end this way |
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