The field guide / 12 visual reads
Minesweeper patterns.
See the next move.
Read the numbers. Spot the pattern. Open a tile you can prove is safe.
Which tile is safe?
Tap one of the three hidden tiles.
These are cropped examples: all hidden neighbours of the numbered clues are shown. Hatched cells are outside the example. Flags stand for proven mines. A matching string of numbers is not enough if extra hidden neighbours change the clues.
Try it / chording
One tap. Every safe neighbour.
Chording opens the unflagged tiles around a number when its adjacent flags match that number. Prove the mines first: matching the count does not make a misplaced flag safe.
Read this 1–2–1 edge. In this trainer, tap a hidden tile to place or remove a flag, then tap the outlined 2 to chord. No timer, no saved score.
Explain the solution
The two outer tiles must be mines; the middle is safe. Flag the left and right tiles, then tap the 2. It opens the middle tile, which also reads 2 because it touches both mines. In the full game, hold or right-click to flag; tap a satisfied number to chord.
Place flags on the two tiles you can prove are mines.
Worked example / reduction
A 2–3–2 hiding a 1–2–1.
A known flag does some of the counting for you. Subtract it from every clue it touches, including diagonally, to find how many mines are still unaccounted for.
- Start with a proven flag. The bottom flag is already known to be a mine. It touches all three clues.
- Subtract one from each clue. 2 − 1 = 1, 3 − 1 = 2, 2 − 1 = 1. You now need 1–2–1 mines in the hidden row.
- Read the remaining pattern. Each outer 1 allows only one mine in its pair. To satisfy the middle 2 as well, the two outer tiles must be mines.
- Flag the outside. Open the middle. The centre tile is safe. The real board numbers stay 2–3–2; the smaller numbers are your mental calculation.
Original board clues
The bottom flag touches all three numbers. It already accounts for one mine in each.
The pattern library
01 / Start here
All remaining tiles are mines
Why it works
The 2 needs two mines and has only two hidden neighbours. Both must be mines.
02 / Start here
The satisfied number
Why it works
The proven flag already accounts for the 1. Its other neighbours are safe. A wrong flag breaks this deduction.
03 / Edge patterns
1–1 on an edge
Why it works
Both 1s share the same mine. The extra tile seen only by the right 1 is safe.
04 / Edge patterns
1–2 on an edge
Why it works
The shared pair contains one mine. The 2 needs one more, so its extra tile is a mine.
05 / Edge patterns
1–2–1
Why it works
The two outer tiles are mines. The middle tile is safe. Match the hidden neighbours, not just the three numbers.
06 / Edge patterns
1–2–2–1
Why it works
The two middle tiles are mines. The outside tiles are safe. This is the 1–2 deduction applied from both ends.
07 / Beyond a straight edge
1–1+ / a small hole
Why it works
The lower 1 pins one mine to the side pair. That also satisfies the upper 1, clearing all three extra tiles.
08 / Beyond a straight edge
1–2+ / extra mines
Why it works
The side pair holds one mine. The 4 still needs three, so every tile in the top row is a mine.
09 / Use your flags
Reduce 2–3–2 to 1–2–1
Why it works
Subtract the proven flag from every number it touches. The remaining counts are 1–2–1, with the same safe middle tile.
10 / Beyond a straight edge
1–3–1 corner
Why it works
Each 1 allows one mine in its pair. Together those pairs supply only two of the 3’s mines. The far corner must hold the third.
11 / Endgame
Use the whole-board count
Why it works
Exactly one mine remains in this entire example. The 1 accounts for it in its three neighbours, so the far-right tile is safe. Verify every flag before trusting the counter.
12 / Endgame
Recognise a real 50/50
Why it works
Either hidden tile can hold the mine. These clues alone do not choose one. Look elsewhere for more information; do not label either tile safe.
Chord once the flags are proven.
When the adjacent flags match a number, tap that number to open its remaining neighbours. Chording trusts your flags; it does not check whether they are correct.
Follow the coastline.
Strait boards use the same eight-neighbour rule, including diagonals. Land removes neighbours. Count the actual water tiles before applying an edge pattern.
A zero counter is not proof.
The counter subtracts placed flags, including wrong ones. Only treat the remaining tiles as safe when every flag is justified and every mine is accounted for.
Keep learning.
Try these reads in the free strait demo. For more community terminology and advanced examples, visit Minesweeper Online’s pattern reference. Diagrams on this page are our own.