How to play Mine Hunt: minesweeper rules, numbers and patterns
In a minesweeper game, mines hide under the closed squares and every number you uncover tells you how many are nearby. Link the numbers together, work out where the mines are and open the safe squares one by one. On Stockboi the game is called Mine Hunt; this guide covers the rules, how to read the numbers and the patterns worth memorizing.
What is Mine Hunt and how is the field set up?
You play on a grid with mines hidden under some of the squares. You can’t see where they are; your only clues are the numbers on the squares you open.
Mine Hunt has three fields: Easy is 9x9 with 10 mines, Medium is 10x14 with 22 mines and Hard is 12x18 with 44 mines. The fields are tall rather than wide so they fit a phone screen.
Your first tap is always safe. The mines are placed after your first tap, and the square you touched plus its 8 neighbors are kept clear. So the first tap always opens an empty area and you start with numbers to work from.
Minesweeper rules in Mine Hunt
- Tap a closed square to open it. If there’s a mine underneath, a best-time game is over.
- If the square shows a number, it tells you how many mines are in the 8 squares around it: left, right, above, below and the four diagonals.
- An empty square has no mines around it, so the game opens its neighbors automatically and the clear area spreads.
- Plant a flag on a square you’re sure hides a mine. A flagged square can’t be opened by accident; long-press it again to remove the flag.
- If a number already has as many flags around it as its value, tap the number to open all its remaining closed neighbors at once. This is often called chording. If one of your flags is wrong, it sets off a mine.
- You win by opening every safe square. Flagging the mines isn’t required; when you clear the field, the rest get flagged for you.
What do the numbers mean in minesweeper?
A 3 means exactly three of the squares touching it hold a mine, no more and no less. A square in the middle has 8 neighbors, one on an edge has 5 and one in a corner has only 3.
Two basic deductions carry the whole game. First: if a number has exactly as many closed squares left around it as its value, all of them are mines. A 1 in a corner with only one closed neighbor means that square is a mine.
Second: if a number already has all its mines found (flagged), every other closed square around it is safe. Chording simply turns that rule into a single tap.
A game, step by step
- You pick Easy and tap a square near the middle. The clock starts, an empty area opens and numbers appear along its edges.
- You scan the edge and find a 1 with only one closed neighbor: that neighbor is a mine. Long-press it to plant a flag.
- You look at another 1 touching that flag. Its mine is found, so its other closed neighbors are safe. Tap the 1 and they all open.
- You repeat with the new numbers: flag the certain mines, open the certain safe squares.
- Sometimes the logic runs out and you’re stuck between two squares. Then you pick the least risky one and guess.
- When the last safe square opens, the field is clear and your time is saved.
Minesweeper patterns: 1-1, 1-2, 1-2-1, 1-2-2-1
These patterns apply to a straight row of open numbers lying along a straight row of closed squares. The other side of the numbers must be fully open, otherwise the math changes.
The 1-1 pattern: a 1 against a wall (the edge of the field or an open square) touches only two squares in the closed row. The 1 next to it touches those two and one more. Since the first 1’s mine is in those two squares, the third square touched by the second 1 is safe.
The 1-2 pattern: with a 1 and a 2 side by side, the square at the far end that the 2 touches but the 1 doesn’t is a mine. The shared squares can hold at most one mine, so the 2’s second mine has to be outside them.
The 1-2-1 pattern: with three numbers in a row reading 1, 2, 1, the squares directly across from the two 1s are mines and the square directly across from the 2 is safe.
The 1-2-2-1 pattern: with four numbers reading 1, 2, 2, 1, the squares directly across from the two 2s are mines; the squares across from the 1s and at both ends of the row are safe.
All of these come from one idea: compare the squares that two neighboring numbers touch and look at the difference. Memorizing patterns makes you fast, understanding why they work saves you when the field shows a layout you haven’t seen.
Minesweeper strategy and tips
- Work from edges and corners. Numbers with fewer neighbors leave fewer possibilities, and chains of deductions usually start there.
- Chord whenever you can. Once a number’s mines are flagged, tap the number instead of opening squares one by one; that’s where best times are won.
- Watch the mines-left counter. It shows the total mines minus your flags, and near the end it can settle a choice between two layouts.
- When you must guess, pick the square that tells you the most. A square that opens new numbers is usually worth more than one wedged in a corner.
- Only flag what you’re sure of. A wrong flag turns chording into a trap.
Common minesweeper mistakes
- Guessing in a hurry. Before deciding you’re stuck, scan the whole edge again; there’s often a 1 you missed.
- Forgetting the diagonals. A number counts all 8 neighbors, not just the four sides.
- Using a pattern in the wrong place. Patterns like 1-2-1 only hold when the far side of the numbers is fully open.
- Rushing in a race. A mine costs a life and freezes you for 3 seconds; playing it safe is often faster.
A short history of minesweeper
The idea of finding hidden mines on a grid from number clues goes back to computer games of the 1980s. The game became famous in the early 1990s when it came bundled with personal computers and turned into the break-time game of countless offices.
The rules have barely changed since: numbers, flags and a chain of logic. Mine Hunt keeps those same core rules and adds phone-friendly tall fields and a two-player race mode.
How to play Mine Hunt on Stockboi
- Best time mode: pick Easy, Medium or Hard. The clock starts on your first tap and one mine ends the game. Your fastest time for each field is saved on your device.
- Race the computer: you both get the same 10x14 field, the same starting point and an open area to begin with. The computer doesn’t know where the mines are and only sees the squares it opened. Easy plays slowly and guesses at random when stuck; Medium and Hard reason better and play faster.
- In a race you have 3 lives. Hit a mine and you lose a life and can’t dig for 3 seconds, though flags still work. First to clear the field wins, and running out of lives loses. A race lasts up to 5 minutes; if time runs out, whoever opened more squares wins.
- Play with a friend or a random opponent: the online race uses the same rules. You can’t see your rival’s field, only how much of it they’ve opened and how many lives they have left. If you get disconnected, you have 60 seconds to come back.
- Controls: tap to dig, long-press to flag. With the Flag button on, every tap plants a flag. On a keyboard use the arrow keys, Enter or Space, and F; with a mouse, right-click flags.
Frequently asked questions
What do the numbers mean in minesweeper?
A number shows how many mines are in the 8 squares touching it, including diagonals. A 2 means exactly two of those squares hold a mine.
Is the first click always safe?
In Mine Hunt, yes. The mines are placed after your first tap, and that square and its 8 neighbors are always kept clear.
How do you flag a square on a phone?
Long-press the square, or switch on the Flag button at the top and tap. On a computer, F or a right-click also plants a flag.
What is chording in minesweeper?
Tapping a number that already has the right count of flags around it opens all its other closed neighbors at once. If a flag is wrong, you’ll hit a mine.
Can every minesweeper game be solved without guessing?
No. Mines are placed at random, so sometimes pure logic can’t decide between two squares and you have to guess.
Can you play minesweeper with two players?
In Mine Hunt, yes: you race a friend or the computer on the same field. First to clear it wins, and each of you has 3 lives.