How to play Minesweeper: rules, flags, and reading the numbers
Minesweeper looks like a guessing game. It isn’t. Every move past the first click is pure logic, and once you can read the numbers, you stop guessing entirely (except on the last few cells of expert boards, where the dread is unavoidable).
The rules in 30 seconds
A rectangular grid hides a fixed number of mines. Your job is to reveal every cell that isn’t a mine. You win by uncovering all non-mine cells; you lose by clicking on a mine.
When you reveal a non-mine cell, you see either:
- A number(1-8): how many of this cell’s 8 neighbors are mines.
- A blank: zero mines are adjacent. The board auto-cascades and reveals all touching blanks + their numeric borders, often opening huge areas at once.
You can also flagcells you suspect are mines (right-click on desktop; long-press on touch). Flags don’t do anything mechanically (they’re just visual reminders), but you can’t accidentally click on a flagged cell, which is the whole point.
The first click is always safe
Melio Minesweeper (and basically every modern implementation) guarantees that your first click is never on a mine. The board is generated AFTER your first click so that cell is forced to be safe. On Easy/Intermediate, the first click also opens up at least one blank area to give you something to work with.
This means you can’t lose on the opening move. The opening click is just “please give me a starting position.” Pick the middle of the board for max expected cascade size.
Reading the numbers
Each number tells you exactly how many mines are in the 8 cells touching it (or fewer, if it’s on an edge or corner). Numbers don’t tell you WHICH neighbors are mines, just how many.
Two simple deductions you can make from a single number:
- If a number equals the count of its still-hidden neighbors, every one of those hidden neighbors is a mine. Flag them all.
- If a number equals the count of flags already placed in its neighbors, every still-hidden neighbor is safe. Reveal them all.
Most cells you reveal are decided by one of these two rules. Apply them everywhere mechanically and you’ll clear 90% of any board without guessing.
The chord click (sweep)
Once you have flags down, there’s a shortcut: chord-click: middle-click (or left+right click) a revealed numbered cell whose neighbors’ flags match its number, and the game instantly reveals every remaining hidden neighbor.
On Melio Minesweeper, the chord works as expected: tap an already-revealed number with the correct flag count and it sweeps the safe cells. This is the single biggest speed boost: strong solvers chord constantly instead of clicking cells one at a time.
Patterns to internalize
Three patterns repeat everywhere. We’ve got a dedicated guide to them (Minesweeper number patterns that solve themselves), but the quick version:
- 1-2-1 along a border: the cells opposite the 2 are mines.
- 1-2-2-1: both middle cells opposite the 2s are mines.
- Lone 1 in a corner with two hidden neighbors: one of the two is a mine, the other is safe; wait for more info before guessing.
Difficulty levels on Melio
- Beginner: 9×9 grid, 10 mines. A practiced player solves in under a minute.
- Intermediate: 16×16 grid, 40 mines. The sweet spot: most strategy applies cleanly without the brutal end-game guesses.
- Expert: 30×16 grid, 99 mines. Often requires educated guesses at the end, even with perfect play. World record is around 30 seconds.