The expert board
Expert minesweeper has 480 squares and 99 mines, so about one square in five is a mine. Your first click is always safe and opens an area. On a narrow phone screen the board is turned upright (16 wide, 30 tall) so squares stay big enough to tap.
How to clear it
- Chord constantly. When a number has all its mines flagged, click it to open every other neighbour at once. It is the biggest speed-up there is.
- Learn the patterns. 1-2-1 and 1-2-2-1 along a wall, and the 1-1 from an edge, solve most situations without guessing. See our minesweeper patterns guide.
- Guess early, not late. Expert boards often need a guess or two. Losing in the first ten seconds costs much less than losing at the end.
- Flag only what you need for chording; flagging every mine wastes time.
Times to aim for
Your first expert win might take ten minutes or more, and that’s fine. Your best time is saved in your browser. Warm up on the beginner and intermediate boards if you keep hitting mines early.