Technique 8 of 8 · Finishing a board

Use the whole field's mine count

The guide and all minesweeper techniques
The full guide Playing on Puzzled

Minesweeper techniques

  1. 1Finding certain minesStart here
  2. 2Finding safe cellsStart here
  3. 3Flagging and chordingCore technique
  4. 4Comparing neighbouring numbersShared cells
  5. 5Subtracting known minesSimplifying clues
  6. 6The 1–2–1 patternRecognising patterns
  7. 7The 1–2–2–1 patternRecognising patterns
  8. 8Using the remaining mine countFinishing a board

The mine counter gives information about the whole field. It can settle cells that the nearby numbers do not settle on their own.

Puzzled's counter is total mines minus placed flags. It does not check whether those flags are right. Only treat the remaining count as a fact about unflagged mines after your flags have been proved.

Example 1: The last mine is already inside a group

Unflagged mines on the whole field: 1

Step 1 of 3

The counter says one unflagged mine remains. The 1 counts one mine among the three shaded neighbours.

Only one mine remains on the whole field, and every remaining possible mine location is inside the frame. The 1 already places that mine somewhere in its neighbouring group.

Every other covered cell must be safe. You can open those cells without deciding which member of the group contains the last mine.

Work inside the solid frame. Every possible mine neighbour of these clues is inside it. Cells beyond the frame are background, not revealed zeros or extra clues.

Flags are proved mines. A tick marks a cell proved safe; its number is not shown.

Blue-ringed numbers are the clues to compare. Shading marks the cells being discussed.

Try it yourself

Try the reasoning yourself. Choose an answer to see the explanation.

All remaining possible mine locations are inside the frame. The single remaining mine is counted by the top-left 1.

Practice only: no clock, saved game or hint charge.

Task 1 of 1: Choose every covered cell outside the 1's group.

Unflagged mines on the whole field: 1

Choose a cell on the board.

Work inside the solid frame. Every possible mine neighbour of these clues is inside it. Cells beyond the frame are background, not revealed zeros or extra clues.

Practice close-up: rows 1–4, columns 1–4.

Flags are proved mines. A tick marks a cell proved safe; its number is not shown.

How to spot it faster

  • Use the total only when you have accounted for covered cells elsewhere on the field.
  • Track a group's mine count even when individual mine positions are unresolved.
  • If the counter suggests something impossible, recheck your flags before making a move.

Common mistakes

Reading the counter as a flag checker

A counter at zero means you have placed as many flags as there are mines. It does not prove that any particular flag is correct.

Forgetting an unopened region

A group that contains the last local mine may not contain the last mine on the whole field. Include every remaining covered region in the total.

Questions

Further reading

Try it

Near the end of a solo field, compare the remaining mine count with groups you can already account for. Check that your flags are proved before using the counter.

Play solo Minesweeper