The home page is this classic game. The sections below follow one round: how you win, how to read the clock and the mine counter, and what each side-panel control does. Start a board on Play now, or read Strategy first if you want the counting habits.
Goal
Mine count depends on the size: 10 on beginner, 40 on intermediate, 99 on expert. Mines are placed after your first open, and that cell is skipped. You win by opening every cell that is not a mine.
Opening a mine ends the round at once, and the other mines that were not flagged are shown. Flags are not part of the win. A flag can sit on the wrong cell; the round is still a win once every safe cell is open.
Timer and mine counter
The clock starts on the first open and shows minutes and seconds in the header and the side panel. Flags placed before that open do not start it. A win or a loss stops the clock.
Mines left in the header is the round’s mine total minus the current number of flags. An extra flag lowers the number even when that cell is safe, and the counter stops at zero. It is not a count of mines you have proved. After a win, Best in the side panel updates only when the time is faster than the one already saved for that size. The three sizes are stored separately in this browser.
Controls
Left-click opens a cell that is still covered and not flagged. A blank cell, one with zero mines around it, opens the connected blanks until the opening reaches a number. A flagged cell does not open on a left click; right-click or long-press to take the flag off first.
Right-click, or a long press on a phone, plants a flag or removes it. On a revealed number, a double-click opens the remaining neighbors only when the flags around it already equal the digit. If the counts do not match, nothing happens. If the counts match but a flag is on the wrong cell, the double-click can open a mine and the round is lost.
Grid sizes
The side panel has three sizes: beginner 9×9 with 10 mines, intermediate 16×16 with 40, and expert 30×16 with 99. A browser that has never chosen a size starts on beginner. The size you pick is saved, and the next visit starts a new random board at that size.
Changing size ends the current round and lays the mines again. The first open on the new board is still safe. Each size keeps its own fastest time, and a slower win does not replace a faster one.
Hint and Daily
Hint starts at the top-left and opens the first covered cell that is not flagged and not a mine. A blank cell opens the empty area with it. Hint does not place flags or move mines. Before the first open, Hint does nothing.
New shuffles mines at the size you have selected. Daily always uses intermediate, 16×16 with 40 mines, and a seed from the UTC date, so the layout is the same for everyone that day. Daily does not save intermediate as your default size. Choosing beginner or expert afterwards ends Daily and starts a random board at that size. Reloading the page does not resume Daily.
Common questions
Can the first click be a mine?
No. Mines are placed after that open, using this round’s seed, and the cell you chose is skipped, so it is always a number or a blank. A corner and the center are equally safe. They differ only in how many neighbors you have to read and how large the opening is.
Does Hint place flags for me?
No. Hint only opens one safe cell. It scans from the top-left, across and then down, and takes the first covered cell that has no flag. You still place and remove flags yourself.
Is mines left a count of mines I have already proved?
No. It is the mine total minus the number of flags. A flag on a safe cell still lowers the number. To know what is left, read the digits around the opening. The header alone cannot tell you.
When does a double-click lose the round?
The double-click opens cells only when the flags around that number already equal it. If the count is right and the positions are wrong, a mine in an unflagged neighbor is opened and the round ends.
Does Daily use the size I have selected?
No. Daily is always intermediate. Beginner or expert saved in the side panel stays saved. After a reload you return to a random board at that size, not to today’s Daily layout.
