Beginner Minesweeper
Beginner Minesweeper is the best place to learn the classic puzzle: a 9x9 grid, 10 mines, safe first click, and enough room to practice number logic without being overwhelmed.
Play Beginner Minesweeper Online
The Beginner board teaches the core Minesweeper loop: reveal safe cells, read numbers, flag confirmed mines, and clear every non-mine square. It is ideal for new players and for speed practice because boards are short and patterns repeat often.
Live Beginner Minesweeper Statistics
The current Beginner record on Minesweeper.now is 6.849s, held by 1761723. 20 players hold a ranked time in this category. Over the last 7 days, 60 Beginner games were finished here with a 35.0% win rate. See the full rankings →
Good for learning
The smaller board makes it easier to see how each number points to nearby mines.
Fast practice games
Beginner boards finish quickly, so you can repeat patterns and improve click confidence.
Classic rules
Use the same logic as larger boards: safe first click, flags, chording, and clear all safe cells to win.
Beginner Minesweeper Strategy
Start in a corner or along an edge. Corner openings touch fewer hidden cells, so the numbers they reveal are easier to interpret while you are learning. On a 9x9 board a single good opening often exposes a third of the grid at once.
Learn to read a lone '1' before anything else. When a 1 touches exactly one unrevealed cell, that cell is a mine; when its mine is already flagged, every other neighbour is safe. This single rule solves the majority of Beginner boards, and it is the foundation for the 1-1 and 1-2-1 patterns you will need on bigger boards.
Do not over-flag. With only 10 mines, most Beginner speedruns place few or no flags at all - revealing safe cells is what wins the game. Practicing flag discipline early pays off later, because efficiency (useful clicks vs. total clicks) is a ranked metric on every leaderboard.
Go deeper with the Minesweeper patterns guide and the efficiency & 3BV/s guide.
Beginner Minesweeper FAQ
What are the Beginner Minesweeper board settings?
Beginner Minesweeper is played on a 9x9 grid containing 10 mines, a mine density of about 12%. The first click is always safe on Minesweeper.now, and it usually opens a large area to start your deductions.
What is a good Beginner Minesweeper time?
Clearing a Beginner board in under 60 seconds is solid for a new player. Regular players aim for under 15 seconds, and the world's fastest Beginner solves finish in well under 5 seconds thanks to instant pattern recognition and chording.
Should I learn Minesweeper on the Beginner board?
Yes. The 9x9 board contains every concept the game uses - number reading, flagging, chording, and openings - in a size where mistakes cost seconds rather than minutes. Once you win consistently, move up to Intermediate Minesweeper.
More questions? Visit the full Minesweeper FAQ.