Intermediate Minesweeper
Intermediate is the Minesweeper most players settle into: a 16×16 grid with 40 mines, big enough for long chains of deduction but not so large that a single slip ends a five-minute game. The mine density steps up from Beginner, so open areas are smaller and you spend more time reading overlapping numbers to tease out which squares are safe. On Minesweeper.Free the first click is always safe, no-guess boards keep every puzzle logically solvable, and chording lets you clear satisfied numbers in a single click so you can build real speed. It is the perfect board to graduate to once Beginner feels automatic.
How to play
- Clear an opening. Your safe first click on the 16×16 grid opens an area. Work outward from it, reading the numbers on its border.
- Combine overlapping numbers. Two numbers that share squares often prove a mine or a safe square that neither could alone. Look for 1-1 and 1-2-1 patterns first.
- Flag and chord. Flag the mines you have proven, then click a satisfied number to open all its other neighbours at once. Chording is how you clear the 16×16 board quickly.
- Open all 216 safe squares. Reveal every square that is not one of the 40 mines to win. Your time is saved so you can beat it next round.
Strategy
Numbers rarely solve alone at this size — read them in pairs. The 1-2-1 pattern along an edge, and two touching numbers whose difference pins down a shared square, are the bread and butter of Intermediate. Flag mines you are sure of, then chord the numbers around them to sweep whole regions fast. Keep moving through the easy areas first and come back to the tangles; opening more of the board usually adds the number you were missing. Speed comes from chording confidently, not from clicking faster.