All Mines Accounted For
When a clue already touches its full number of marked mines, every other adjacent covered cell is safe.
See the proof →Minesweeper patterns, explained with proof
These are the same rules the local solver uses. Each guide starts with a forced conclusion, then shows the exact clue arithmetic and a board you can reproduce yourself.
Check your own boardStart here
Three core rules
Learn the direct rules first. Use subset subtraction when no single clue is enough.
All Covered Cells Are Mines
When the mines still required equal the remaining covered cells, all of those cells must be mines.
See the proof →
Subset Rule
When one clue group sits completely inside another, subtract the smaller constraint to isolate a safe cell or mine.
See the proof →Method
Read constraints, not shapes
- Count marked mines.Subtract adjacent flags from the clue number.
- Count covered neighbors.Only cells still hidden and unmarked remain unknown.
- Compare clue groups.Resolve a direct rule, or subtract a smaller contained group from a larger one.
Real product evidence
The screenshots come from the working Minesweeper Coach interface, with each board manually recreated and solved locally.
No probability claims
If the visible constraints do not force a move, the solver reports that no guaranteed move was found.
Cases, not copied posts
Community discussions can establish provenance. The board recreation, proof, limitations, and screenshot are our original work.