Minesweeper 1v1 Duel — Challenge a Friend
Left-click to reveal | Right-click to flag (local only)
(300 − secondsFromStart) × percentRevealed, however it will never drop below 0.
Minesweeper 1v1 Duel — Challenge a Friend
Duel mode is private 1v1 Minesweeper: you create a room, get a shareable link, and send it to exactly one person. Both players receive the same board, start on their first click, and race to the higher score. No matchmaking queue, no random opponent — just you vs. someone you choose.
Duel is the right mode for challenges with friends, teammates, or anyone you want to beat specifically. The room link is single-use — once two players have joined, the game begins. There are no ELO ratings or persistent rankings in Duel mode; it's purely for the match itself.
How to Start a Duel
- Open /duel and click Create Room (or wait — a room is created automatically when the page loads).
- Copy the share link that appears in the status bar and send it to your opponent.
- Wait for them to join. Once both players are connected, click Start to begin.
- Both boards appear side by side. Your board is interactive; your opponent's is a live read-only view with a configurable delay.
The opponent board delay (visible on the badge above their board) is a fairness setting — it means you see your opponent's board a few seconds behind real time, so you can't simply copy their moves.
How Scoring Works
Both players are scored on the same formula:
- 5 points per tile revealed. Every safe cell you uncover earns 5 points, regardless of how you revealed it (click, chord, or auto-expand).
- Time bonus:
(300 − secondsFromStart) × percentRevealed, minimum 0. Clearing more of the board faster produces a significantly higher bonus. The time bonus decays to zero after 5 minutes.
The player with the higher total score wins the duel. Hitting a mine doesn't end your game — you keep playing, but the pause costs you time, which reduces the time bonus. Playing carefully on a tight board is often more valuable than rushing and losing a mine.
Standard vs. Quick Mode
- Standard — Full 9×9 Beginner board, 10 mines. A typical match takes 30–90 seconds. Rewards clean, efficient solving over pure speed.
- Quick (⚡) — Smaller board, faster rounds. Finishes in 10–20 seconds. Higher variance — a single good chord can flip the result.
Both players must be on the same mode when they join. The mode is set by whoever creates the room — the link carries the mode selection.
Strategy for 1v1 Duel
- First mover advantage is real. A large opening cascade on the first click can give you a scoring lead before your opponent has resolved a single constraint.
- Chord everything you can. Chord-clicking a revealed number auto-reveals all its neighbors if flagged correctly. It's the fastest way to rack up tile reveals and inflate your score.
- Minimize flags, maximize speed. Flags take a right-click and slow your reveal rate. If you can remember where mines are without flagging, you'll clear tiles faster.
- Know the board well. Both players get the same board. If you know common Beginner patterns cold, you'll clear faster than someone who has to think through every deduction.
- The time bonus is large. A clean clear under 30 seconds produces a time bonus that doubles your tile score. Chasing efficiency matters — don't waste clicks.