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Here are some tips for the beginner minesweeper to help you get un-stuck when you are stuck.
If I use number notation, I'm talking about the number that appears on the boxes. If I spell out the number, it is a quantity.
1. The "Included 2 Rule"
Whenever two 1's surround a 2, the two blocks adjacent to the 1's are bombs.
![[image loading]](http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s279/evil5partan/tut1.png) ![[image loading]](http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s279/evil5partan/tut2.png)
2. More than 1 Possibility
Whenever there are more than 1 possible placements for a mine, find the spots that are not mines in both combinations.
![[image loading]](http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s279/evil5partan/tut3.png) ![[image loading]](http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s279/evil5partan/tut4.png) ![[image loading]](http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s279/evil5partan/tut5.png) ![[image loading]](http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s279/evil5partan/tut6.png)
3. Double 2 Sandwich
Whenever there are two simultaneous 2's, surrounded by 1's, the flags are adjacent to the two 2's.
![[image loading]](http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s279/evil5partan/tut7.png) ![[image loading]](http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s279/evil5partan/tut8.png)
4. Testing
When you are testing a flag (place one flag in the corner and then question mark all those that wouldn't be mines), and you create an impossible combination, then the first flag isn't a mine.
![[image loading]](http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s279/evil5partan/tut9.png) ![[image loading]](http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s279/evil5partan/tut10.png) ![[image loading]](http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s279/evil5partan/tut11.png)
In this case, the 4 is not satisfied (I started working from top to bottom), so the top flag cannot be a mine.
5. Flip a Coin
Whenever this happens, flip a coin.
![[image loading]](http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s279/evil5partan/tut12.png)
6. 2-3 Sandwich
If two 2's surround a 3, and the entire other side isn't mines, then all 3 blocks touching the 3 are mines. This is expandable to however many 3's you have in the sandwich.
![[image loading]](http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s279/evil5partan/tut13.png) ![[image loading]](http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s279/evil5partan/tut14.png)
7. Corner 4 with the Adjacent 1
If a 4 is at a corner, and there is an adjacent 1, then all the boxes touching the 4 but not the 1 are mines.
![[image loading]](http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s279/evil5partan/tut15.png) ![[image loading]](http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s279/evil5partan/tut16.png)
8. Something Like This
Whenever something like this happens, test it.
![[image loading]](http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s279/evil5partan/tut17.png) ![[image loading]](http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s279/evil5partan/tut18.png)
9. Chain of 2's
Chain of 2's will follow this pattern. To solve it, first find one that MUST be a mine, and then the others can be easily flagged.
![[image loading]](http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s279/evil5partan/tut19.png) ![[image loading]](http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s279/evil5partan/tut20.png)
10. Chain of 1's
Chain of 1's will follow this pattern. Find one that must be a mine, and then everything else...
![[image loading]](http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s279/evil5partan/tut22.png) ![[image loading]](http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s279/evil5partan/tut21.png)
11. A 1 Surrounded by Higher Numbers
I used 2's in this example, but the same can apply to higher numbers. This only applies if AND ONLY IF the blocks adjacent to the 1 are NOT corners.
![[image loading]](http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s279/evil5partan/tut23.png) ![[image loading]](http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s279/evil5partan/tut24.png)
12. Cancelling to Apply Other Rules
On December 24 2011 07:19 dcemuser wrote:Another tip you don't mention is mentally subtracting from existing numbers so that you can apply some of the other rules. Example situation: ![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/ViHHk.png) Subtract existing mine from numbers: ![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/f27Dq.png) Apply 1-2-2-1 rule: ![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/oSdqu.png)
That's all I got for now, will update with more.
Sorry for the bad Photoshop jobs. ^_^
Beginner Time: 7
Expert Time: 141
Never bothered to do intermediate ;P
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Thanks for the tips! I did not know about #11. My best expert time is 210. I play minesweeper to practice mouse precision and APM clicking 
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On December 24 2011 06:56 julianto wrote:Thanks for the tips! I did not know about #11. My best expert time is 210. I play minesweeper to practice mouse precision and APM clicking
Lol I play it when I'm too depressed to ladder ^_^
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Playing this in computer class ftw?
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Ooh, this is surprisingly not halfassed! 5/5 will read again 
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United States12607 Posts
5 is a terrible tip! Flipping a coin will add several seconds to your time.
+ Show Spoiler + Cool little post here ^^
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@8:
The ones you've marked aren't all bombs, or well, mines .
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On December 24 2011 07:08 sirkyan wrote:@8: The ones you've marked aren't all bombs, or well, mines .
I have the same thought as you initially, but its possible that the 3 at the bottom right is not a corner, just where he cropped the picture!
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On December 24 2011 07:15 Raysalis wrote:Show nested quote +On December 24 2011 07:08 sirkyan wrote:@8: The ones you've marked aren't all bombs, or well, mines . I have the same thought as you initially, but its possible that the 3 at the bottom right is not a corner, just where he cropped the picture!
If you look at #5, I used the same game for that one
Left, mid-bottom 
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My expert time is 120 seconds. There are some real gosus out there however that can do it under 45 seconds :O
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97% of my games end in the "flip a coin" situation -.-
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Another tip you don't mention is mentally subtracting from existing numbers so that you can apply some of the other rules.
Example situation:
Subtract existing mine from numbers:
Apply 1-2-2-1 rule:
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My expert record is 77. I have 22966 games play total on expert level. 1183 of those I have won (5%).
I probably win around 20% of my games now, and the losses are mainly due to the "impossible calculation layout" of some minesweeper rounds and also because I usually play other games at the same time (fx in the early game of sc2).
Personally, I don't think anymore when I play minesweeper. I can have a conversation or (almost) watch a stream and still do minesweeper perfectly.
It's fun.. Play it :D
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On December 24 2011 07:19 dcemuser wrote:
Another tip you don't mention is mentally subtracting from existing numbers so that you can apply some of the other rules.
Posting an example in a sec.
Yes, example 4 is basically the equivalent of example 1. Example 1 is better explained by pointing out that, when there is a 1 next to a 2, there must be a mine adjacent to the 2 that isn't adjacent to the 1. For example:
__x
12
So example 4 can be solved likeso:
|2
|3x
|4x
|2
=
|1
|1
|2
|1
->
|1
x|1
|2
x|1
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i dont understand a damn thing lol, must have to be university for this game.
edit: i just click and lose or get lucky and win, i thought that was minesweeper, didnt know why there was numbers until this post though.
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Another tip is to do canceling with mines to get any of the other tips.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/9V1Cs.png)
the first image gets canceled out to be
1 1 2 2 1, which with hint 3, you know the mines are above the 2s
Fastest time 91 seconds.
edit: looks like I was a bit slow
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EPT
