# Minesweeper: the game of champions **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 27, 2000, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minesweeper-the-game-of-champions/42847 "2000-11-27T12:49:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ElusiveMiser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c37758/32.png) [@ElusiveMiser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElusiveMiser)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2000, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minesweeper-the-game-of-champions/42847/1 "2000-11-27T12:49:21Z")
I’m a hardcore minesweeper addict (a.k.a. dork) and I’ve worked my best times down to really good times, at least in my opinion. I was wondering if anyone knew what the official world record times are (if they exist) for the standard windows version of Minesweeper. ---
**Author:** ![Chas.E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e99b99/32.png) [@Chas.E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chas.E)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2000, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minesweeper-the-game-of-champions/42847/2 "2000-11-27T13:32:46Z")
There is no way to establish a world record, since the beginning layout of mines is random. I might click on an square and suddenly almost all the cels are open, or I might get a really tough arrangement of mines with no easy openings. Your best times are certainly caused by easier mine layouts. There’s no way to compete for a world record unless everyone all played the same layouts. You need a level playing field. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2000, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minesweeper-the-game-of-champions/42847/3 "2000-11-27T13:36:34Z")
If you think Minesweeper is a fascinating game, I have just one word for your consideration: Civilization. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2000, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minesweeper-the-game-of-champions/42847/4 "2000-11-27T14:50:45Z")
I’m pretty fast, but I don’t know if it’s a world record. About 5 seconds for Beginner, 20 for Intermediate, and 60 for Expert. I was such a Minesweeper geek that I wrote a DOS version of it instead of installing Windows 3 and the actual game. I was a little faster with that version, as I didn’t have the little jostles you get with a mouse. The hard programming part was getting it to reveal all the neighboring blanks in a wave fashion, rather that just opening them all up. ---
**Author:** ![Shut\_Up\_And\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7993a0/32.png) [@Shut\_Up\_And\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shut_Up_And_Party)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2000, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minesweeper-the-game-of-champions/42847/5 "2000-11-27T15:39:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DSYoungEsq \* > \*\*If you think Minesweeper is a fascinating game, I have just one word for your consideration: Civilization. 😉 \*\* Don’t say it!! DON’T SAY IT!!! ARRRGGGGH!!! Now I’m gonna have to go play it for the next 8 hours. THANKS A LOT. ---
**Author:** ![zwaldd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a9adbd/32.png) [@zwaldd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zwaldd)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2000, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minesweeper-the-game-of-champions/42847/6 "2000-11-27T16:02:25Z")
a few years ago i got 3 seconds on the beginner level by just randomly clicking very quickly. it seems to me that no matter what, the expert level always involves a couple of guesses. does anyone know a way around that? ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2000, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minesweeper-the-game-of-champions/42847/7 "2000-11-27T16:03:21Z")
I got to where I could solve it fairly reliably at Beginner, Intermediate and Expert, then I switched to Custom and started adding mines 10 at a time to the Advanced layout. I have solved the field with as many as 120 mines, but so far that’s the best I can do. Has anyone else experimented with custom fields? Are there any Minesweeper hacks out on the 'Net we could use to spice up our play? ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2000, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minesweeper-the-game-of-champions/42847/8 "2000-11-27T17:22:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by AWB \* > \*\*I’m pretty fast, but I don’t know if it’s a world record. > > About 5 seconds for Beginner, 20 for Intermediate, and 60 for Expert. > \*\* 60 seconds for expert (480 squares, 99 mines) is quite incredible. Are you sure? By the way, zwald, it is sometimes possible to get through the expert game without any guessing. ---
**Author:** ![jmullaney](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85e7bf/32.png) [@jmullaney](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jmullaney)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2000, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minesweeper-the-game-of-champions/42847/9 "2000-11-27T17:56:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by zwaldd \* > \*\*the expert level always involves a couple of guesses. does anyone know a way around that? \*\* No, but your best bet is to try to open two or more disconnected areas near the corners from the outset rather than work through a whole puzzle and get stuck. ---
**Author:** ![Glenoled](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Glenoled](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glenoled)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2000, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minesweeper-the-game-of-champions/42847/10 "2000-11-27T18:01:53Z")
the way I start my games is, I click on my 4 corners… if I die, I start a new game, if I don’t, I play from there… I was just wondering how you guys start your game… my record was dying at the 0 second mark… hehe but I was able to get consistent scored in the \<30 range, in beginner… I’ve only solved expert once or thrice… then again, I’m not a junky 😉 Gaston ---
**Author:** ![Phobos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Phobos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phobos)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2000, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minesweeper-the-game-of-champions/42847/11 "2000-11-27T18:21:17Z")
Try searching the SDMB archive for SD’ers best scores. There was a recent thread in either MPSIMS or IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2000, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minesweeper-the-game-of-champions/42847/12 "2000-11-27T18:27:33Z")
I’m a FreeCell man myself. ---
**Author:** ![Beruang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/77aa72/32.png) [@Beruang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beruang)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2000, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minesweeper-the-game-of-champions/42847/13 "2000-11-27T18:28:51Z")
I do a custom screen – largest size possible, with 135 mines, though I have gone up to 165 during particularly boring meetings. Keeps me from being productive. I usually start at an edge. I don’t know if I agree with Chas. E’s statement that the randomness eliminates the possibility of fair competition. I think if everyone played several games at the same level, the minor fluctuations of difficulty (assuming they even exist) would even out. The most interesting phenomenon I have noticed is that the world seems to be divided into Minesweeper players and Solitaire players, and rarely do you meet an individual who plays both, let alone is good at and/or enjoys both. Anyone else notice this? ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2000, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minesweeper-the-game-of-champions/42847/14 "2000-11-27T18:35:34Z")
I suck at MineSweeper, so I cheat. My friends are amazed at my record of 0 seconds for Expert. (Just edit the winmine.ini file.) ---
**Author:** ![Nurlman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Nurlman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nurlman)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2000, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minesweeper-the-game-of-champions/42847/15 "2000-11-27T19:03:37Z")
> [@](#): > > Has anyone else experimented with custom fields? Are there any Minesweeper hacks out on the 'Net we could use to spice up our play? Ask and ye shall [receive](http://download.cnet.com/downloads/0-10040-100-886616.html). “Professional Minesweeper” was written by some Croatian guy, and features 16 different shaped playfields (and tiles within them), including hexagons, parquet floors, and triangles. The triangle ones are super difficlt, since the point of the triangle can touch three other tiles. Unfortunately, that results in a lot more guessing, which takes away from the skill factor of the game. The program is nagware, so you’ll either want to register or find some way to hack it to get rid of the “register now” reminders. But the fee is only a few bucks and probably worth it if you are really a hardcore fan of Minesweeper.