Choose the variant that actually checks a solve
A safe opening prevents your first click from hitting a mine. No-guess screening adds a separate condition: the generated arrangement must be solvable by the variant’s supported logical deductions starting from that opening. The screen does not merely rename an ordinary random board or make a favorable first click look like a complete proof.
This variant uses nine rows, nine columns, and ten mines. The mine positions are chosen after the first reveal, excluding that square and its neighbors. The generator tries candidate layouts within a bounded search. If it cannot produce one that passes the check, it reports generation failure instead of silently accepting a layout it has not verified. Start another attempt rather than treating an empty or failed generation state as a solved board.
Understand the logical check without confusing it with an on-screen hint
The screening solver follows visible-number constraints, safe expansion around zeros, proven mines, and relationships between sets of unresolved neighbors. It does not justify a player’s next click by displaying hidden mine positions. Its conclusion is about the accepted layout’s logical solvability under that process, not a claim that every choice a player makes is safe.
A wrong flag can still make your own later reasoning inconsistent. A click on an actual mine is still a losing reveal. The variant does not relocate mines during the round to rescue an unsupported decision. Keep the distinction between a board that has a logical route and a move that you personally have proved from the information currently visible.
Work through one constraint at a time
Suppose an uncovered 1 has exactly one unresolved neighboring square and no already accounted-for mine. That square is forced to contain a mine. If a nearby 1 includes that same proven mine, its other unresolved neighbors must be safe. These are different conclusions drawn from the remaining mine requirement of each clue.
For a comparison between clues, list every adjacent covered square, including diagonals. If one clue’s unresolved set is entirely contained in another’s, compare how many mines each still requires. Equal requirements can make the extra squares safe. This is why a no-guess layout may still require careful reading: the useful connection may be between two clue neighborhoods rather than within the number you are currently staring at.
Do not turn the flag counter into a second solver
The counter tracks your flags against the mine total. Ten flags can reduce it to zero whether those flags are correct or not. The check performed during generation does not turn each later player flag into an approved deduction. You still win by uncovering every safe square.
Before opening a square beside your flags, recall which clues established those mines. If one flag came from a mistaken tap or an assumption, correct or reconsider it before using it in another equation. A logical board can become confusing when a player treats an unproved note as evidence. That does not establish that the generator required guessing at that point.
Keep the scope of the claim precise
No-guess describes a property checked for the accepted board and opening, not a speed rating or a promise that you will immediately see the next deduction. It does not certify a universal set of every imaginable Minesweeper technique, a record time, or a winning result regardless of your moves. A difficult logical step can still take thought.
Pause when you need to step away, and return to a specific pair of clues instead of opening an uncertain square because you feel stuck. The variant has its own saved-state context when local storage is available. Browser storage, device policies, and network access remain ordinary limitations; the no-guess label changes the layout screening, not those conditions.
Frequently asked questions
Is no-guess the same as a safe first click?
No. A safe opening is one rule; this variant additionally screens a logical solve from that opening.
How large is this variant?
It uses a nine-by-nine grid with ten mines.
Will an incorrect flag be corrected for me?
No. Flags remain player annotations, so you must justify and revise them yourself.
What if generation cannot find a verified board?
The bounded generator reports failure rather than passing off an unchecked candidate as no-guess.
Does the mode guarantee I will win?
No. The accepted layout has a screened logical route, but your own moves can still be wrong.