Minesweeper guide
Play Minesweeper online free on Arcory in your browser—no download required. This page explains how to reveal cells, read numbers, place flags, use chording safely, and choose Beginner, Intermediate or Expert boards. Guests can start immediately; an Arcory account is optional and useful when you want supported save and resume.
How to Play Minesweeper
Minesweeper is a logic puzzle on a grid that hides a fixed number of mines. Your goal is to reveal every cell that does not contain a mine. When you reveal a safe cell, it either shows a blank opening or a number from 1 to 8. Numbers describe nearby mines; blank cells have no mines touching them and often open a larger empty region at once.
Place flags on cells you believe contain mines so you do not click them by accident. You win when every non-mine cell is revealed. Hitting a mine ends the round. On Arcory, mines are placed only after your first click, so that opening move is always safe.
- Reveal cells to gather information about neighbouring mines.
- Flag cells you are confident contain mines.
- Clear every safe cell—flags do not have to be perfect to win, but they help you play carefully.
What Do the Numbers Mean?
A revealed number tells you how many mines touch that cell among its up to eight neighbours—horizontally, vertically and diagonally. For example, a 3 means exactly three of the surrounding cells contain mines. Numbers never count mines farther away than that immediate ring, so each digit is a local constraint you can use to deduce safe opens and forced flags.
What Is Chording in Minesweeper?
Chording (sometimes called a chord) is a speed technique used on an already revealed numbered cell. When the number of flags among that cell's neighbours equals the number shown, you can activate the numbered cell again to reveal all remaining unflagged neighbours in one action.
Chording is powerful, but it trusts your flags. If a flag is wrong, chording can reveal a mine and end the game. Treat a chord as confirmation of finished local work, not as a guess.
How to Chord Safely
- Reveal enough of the board to read a numbered cell with certainty.
- Flag every neighbour you are sure is a mine until the flag count matches the number.
- Double-check that you did not over-flag or miss a mine in that ring.
- Activate the numbered cell to chord—on Arcory, click or tap the revealed number when Flag mode is off.
- If anything about the flags is uncertain, open a clearly safe cell instead of chording.
Difficulty Levels
Arcory Minesweeper uses the classic three board sizes. Pick Beginner while you learn patterns, Intermediate for denser deductions, and Expert for a wide, mine-heavy board.
| Difficulty | Board | Mines |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 9×9 | 10 |
| Intermediate | 16×16 | 40 |
| Expert | 30×16 | 99 |
Beginner Strategies
- After a safe first click, expand from large empty openings—those give you many numbers at once.
- Subtract adjacent flags from the number. If the remaining mine count equals the number of unopened, unflagged neighbours, all of those neighbours are mines.
- When the adjacent flag count already equals the number, every other unopened, unflagged neighbour is safe to reveal, provided the flags are correct.
- Prefer forced moves over guesses. When two patterns leave no safe option, mark the uncertainty and work elsewhere first.
- Count flags carefully before chording. An extra or missing flag is a common way to lose a nearly finished board.
- Build from established information: solve edges and corners that are fully constrained before tackling dense clusters.
Desktop and Mobile Controls
Controls match the live Arcory Minesweeper UI:
- Reveal: left-click on desktop, or tap a hidden cell on mobile (with Flag mode off).
- Flag: right-click on desktop, turn on Flag mode and tap, or long-press a cell on touch devices.
- Chord: with Flag mode off, click or tap a revealed numbered cell whose adjacent flags already equal its number to reveal remaining unflagged neighbours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the first click safe?
Yes. Arcory places mines after your first reveal and keeps that first click (and its immediate neighbourhood) clear of mines.
What does chording mean?
Chording means activating a revealed numbered cell once its neighbouring flags match the number, so the remaining unflagged neighbours open together. Wrong flags can expose a mine.
Can Minesweeper be played on mobile?
Yes. Tap to reveal, use Flag mode or a long-press to flag, and tap a satisfied number to chord—all in the browser with no download.
How many mines are in each difficulty?
Beginner has 10 mines on a 9×9 board, Intermediate has 40 mines on 16×16, and Expert has 99 mines on 30×16.
Is an Arcory account required?
No. You can play Minesweeper as a guest. An account is useful if you want supported save and resume for unfinished games across devices.