30 Years of ‘Minesweeper’ |
| 2021-08-24 howtogeek.com by Ben Edwards |
| Overview of Minesweeper with a brief history of the game. |
The Minesweeper Moment |
| 2021-08-04 platformonomics.com by Charles Fitzgerald |
| The General Manager for Platform Strategy at Microsoft during 1989-2008 shares some thoughts about the popularity of Minesweeper and notes he was recently interviewed for a book on the game. |
Mine Captcha |
| 2021-07-30 xkcd.com by Randall Munroe |
| XKCD publishes a cartoon about using Minesweeper for CAPTCHAs. |
Microsoft Casual Games Windows 8 Platform Expiration Notice |
| 2021-04-05 Microsoft Casual Games Studio |
| Microsoft announces that the Minesweeper server for Windows 8 and 8.1 will be shut down on 5 April 2021. |
12 Year-Old Ze-En Ju Becomes First Person To Ever Clear A Minesweeper Expert Grid In Under 30 Seconds |
| 2020-09-18 thegamer.com by Gavin Burtt |
| Ze-En Ju breaks the Expert world record. |
Why Minesweeper is one of the PC’s best forms of escapism |
| 2020-05-06 pcgamesn.com by Will Freeman |
| A brief history of the Minesweeper genre. Article claims Microsoft Minesweeper is the best PC version. |
‘Minesweeper’ Being Mined As Competition Series By OBB Pictures |
| 2019-10-31 deadline.com by Patrick Hipes |
| Article claims Microsoft’s classic computer game Minesweeper is being turned into a TV competition series. |
Kindle 3 hidden features include 2 games |
| 2019-09-30 geek.com by Matthew Humphries |
| The Kindle 3 has a hidden Minesweeper game. |
When Worlds Collide |
| 2019-07-31 Bruce Ryan |
| Former Product Manager at Microsoft tweets a picture of himself holding an Indian Pale Ale called Minesweeper. |
Spinoffs In Seattle |
| 2019-06-28 NPR Seattle by Ophira Eisenberg |
| NPR radio interview with the Product Manager for the Windows Entertainment Pack. |
The only game I play on my phone is Minesweeper |
| 2018-10-27 theverge.com by Dami Lee |
| Playing Minesweeper on the New York daily commute. |
The Games of Windows |
| 2018-08-18 The Digital Antiquarian by Jimmy Maher |
| Detailed history of how Solitaire, Minesweeper and other early games were included in Windows. |
You Don’t Have to Pay $20 a Year for Solitaire and Minesweeper on Windows 10 |
| 2016-06-16 howtogeek.com by Chris Hoffman |
| A rant against Microsoft charging money to stop ads in Windows 10 Minesweeper. Article provides links and advice for playing Minesweeper for free. |
Bill Gates Reddit AMA |
| 2016-03-08 reddit.com/user/thisisbillgates/ by Bill Gates |
| Bill Gates answers questions on Reddit including his best Minesweeper time. He incorrectly remembers getting a Sub10 score on Expert. |
Bring Back Microsoft's Classic, No-Bloat Games to Windows for Free |
| 2015-11-30 gadgethacks.com by Andrew Godinez |
| Two ways to copy and hack Windows Minesweeper 8 & 10 to run on your machine without ads. |
Bill Gates was so addicted to Minesweeper he used to sneak into a colleague’s office after work to play |
| 2015-08-17 businessinsider.com by Matt Weinberger |
| Interview with the Product Manager who created the Windows Entertainment Pack. |
The True Purpose of Solitaire, Minesweeper, and FreeCell |
| 2015-08-15 mentalfloss.com by James Hunt |
| Article claims Minesweeper was included in Windows 3.1 to teach users how to use the mouse properly. Other websites such as businessinsider copied the story. |
Actually, Minesweeper wasn't introduced to teach anything |
| 2015-08-14 Bruce Ryan |
| The Product Manager for Minesweeper tweets that the game was not included to teach mouse control despite reports in several newspaper articles. |
Minesweeper Super Challenge |
| 2015-08-10 CineMassive |
| CineMassive hooks up 24 screens to make a Minesweeper game with 38,799 mines. The story appeared on numerous websites like slashgear, techtimes and newatlas. |
What do Candy Crush Saga, Minesweeper and Solitaire have in common? |
| 2015-05-15 theguardian.com by Samuel Gibbs |
| Windows 10 will include Minesweeper pre-installed in contrast Windows 8. |
Why Dating is Like Minesweeper |
| 2014-12-30 Aidan Reid |
| Author compares his love life to learning how to play Minesweeper. |
Every step you take: The story of Minesweeper |
| 2014-07-21 eurogamer.net by Dan Griliopoulos |
| Eurogamer article from 2014 interviewing Ian Andrew (who wrote Mined-Out in 1983), Curt Johnson (who wrote PM Mines in 1989) and Damien Moore (who created Authoritative Minesweeper in 2000) about the history of the game. |
Minesweeper updated for the 21st century in Microsoft Treasure Hunt, coming soon to your Surface |
| 2014-05-09 windowscentral.com by Sam Sabri |
| Microsoft releases Treasure Hunt as a stand-alone version of Minesweeper Adventure mode. |
Microsoft gaming classics solitaire, mahjong, and minesweeper arrive on Windows Phone |
| 2013-12-27 Microsoft by Michael Stroh |
| The XBox Live version of Minesweeper is now available for Windows 8 (WP8) phones. Minesweeper was previously available for WP7 but was incompatible with the new operating system. |
Microsoft releases Mahjong and a new Minesweeper for Windows Phone 8 |
| 2013-12-27 windowscentral.com by Daniel Rubino |
| Microsoft releases a new edition of Minesweeper for Windows 8 (WP8) phones. |
Mine Clearing 64 Grey Squares |
| 2013-11-15 focus.de by Claudia Frickel |
| Short article in German about Minesweeper, the International Campaign to Ban Winmine and some modern versions of the game. |
The new and updated games of Windows 8 |
| 2012-10-27 arstechnica.com by Kyle Orland |
| Windows 8 Minesweeper has an Adventure mode! |
Microsoft Details Their Windows 8 Beta Games |
| 2012-09-02 trueachievements.com by Rebecca Smith |
| A preview of Minesweeper and four other games about to be released for Windows 8. |
First wave of Xbox LIVE games that will be coming to Windows 8 |
| 2012-08-31 Microsoft by Major Nelson |
| Minesweeper will be among 40 XBox Live games available soon on Windows 8. |
'Xbox Windows' branding spotted on classic games |
| 2012-08-07 computerandvideogames.com by Andy Robinson |
| Microsoft plans to unify the branding and design of its XBox Live version (also used on Windows 7 phones) and its Windows 7 PC version of Minesweeper. |
Play Minesweeper In Real Life With These Scratch Cards |
| 2012-06-01 technabob.com by Lambert Varias |
| Connected Design release Minesweeper scratchcards. Several sites such as techcrunch copy the story. |
This Pole is the best in the world! |
| 2011-11-23 babol.pl by Roman Koń |
| Interview in Polish with Kamil Murański about being the best player (1-8-32) in the world. |
Minesweeper - Review |
| 2011-10-04 windowscentral.com by Paul Acevedo |
| Detailed review of the new Windows 7 (WP7) phone version of Minesweeper. |
Review: Minesweeper (Xbox Live) |
| 2011-09-28 allaboutwindowsphone.com/ by Ewan Spence |
| Review of the new Windows 7 (WP7) phone version of Minesweeper. |
Review: Minesweeper for Windows Phone 7 |
| 2011-09-22 techerator.com by Bryant Sombke |
| Review of the new Windows 7 (WP7) phone version of Minesweeper. |
Xbox Live: Minesweeper updated, sheds excess mines |
| 2011-09-07 windowscentral.com by Paul Acevedo |
| The Windows 7 (WP7) XBox Live version of Minesweeper has been updated to make the levels easier to win. |
How to play Minesweeper like a pro |
| 2011-08-24 pcworld.com by Kamil Murański |
| An introduction to Minesweeper strategy by Kamil Murański (1-8-32) in PC World magazine. |
Minesweeper launching worldwide |
| 2011-08-23 Microsoft by Michael Stroh |
| The Windows 7 (WP7) phone version of Minesweeper available in the US store is now available globally. |
Minesweeper and Sudoko stirring up a storm |
| 2011-08-11 windowscentral.com by George Ponder |
| International players are not happy that the Windows 7 (WP7) phone release of Minesweeper XBox Live was limited to the US Microsoft Store. |
Minesweeper and Sudoku are now available for free on Xbox Live |
| 2011-08-10 windowscentral.com by Paul Avecedo |
| Minesweeper has been released in the Microsoft US Store for Windows 7 (WP7) phones. |
They’re classics. They’re new from Xbox LIVE. And they’re free! |
| 2011-08-10 Microsoft by Michael Stroh |
| XBox Live versions of Minesweeper and Sudoku are now available for Windows 7 (WP7) phones "for free" as ad supported apps in the Microsoft US Store. The XBox Live version was initially released on 2011-07-12. |
Minesweeper + Sudoku Xbox Live games coming on August 10! |
| 2011-08-04 windowscentral.com by Paul Acevedo |
| Minesweeper XBox Live is to be released for Windows 7 (WP7) phones. |
The little-known world of competitive Minesweeper |
| 2011-03-20 secondpersonshooter.com by Laura Michet |
| Interview in 2011 with Aryeh Draeger (1-11-46) about the Minesweeper Community. |
Game Chest: Logic Games - Review |
| 2011-01-06 windowscentral.com by Daniel Rubino |
| Microsoft, Sudoku and Chess are released as part of the second Games Chest pack "Logic Games" for $2.99 by Microsoft Game Studios for Windows 7 (WP7) phones. |
Head in the Stars, He Clicks Through the Landmines |
| 2010-10-22 beeld.com by Susan Cilliers |
| Interview in Afrikaans with Bertie Seyffert (1-12-42) about the Munich 2020 tournament. |
Top 10 workplace time wasters |
| 2009-08-17 crn.com by Iain Thomson |
| Minesweeper makes a top 10 list of ways to procrastinate at work. |
The most successful game ever: a history of Minesweeper |
| 2009-05-05 techradar.com by Richard Cobbett |
| A short history of Windows Minesweeper with a discussion of the "Winflower" controversy. |
Seven Clicks Per Second |
| 2008-10-25 index.hu by Stöckert Gábor |
| The Budapest Game Show 2008 won by Thomas Kolar was reviewed by a Hungarian Technology magazine and this article includes details of the Minesweeper tournament. |
'Beyond Tetris' - Minesweeper |
| 2007-02-26 gamesetwatch.com by Tony Delgado |
| A brief history of Minesweeper with an overview of strategy and 3-D versions. |
Games for Windows Vista: how the new brand & OS will change PC gaming |
| 2006-12-18 engadget.com by J. Ransom-Wiley |
| Interview with Microsoft about Vista gaming. Games will not be connected to XBox Live but if you use a XBox 360 controller it will rumble when mines explode. |
Features that didn't make the cut |
| 2006-10-09 shellrevealed.com by Dave Vronay |
| A Microsoft engineer jokes about the landmine debate at work and claims they considered releasing a version called MimeSweeper. |
The UI design minefield - er... flower field?? |
| 2006-09-26 Dave Vronay |
| A research manager at Microsoft explains some of the work that went into adding flowers to Minesweeper in Windows Vista. |
The Best Minesweeper Player Speaks! |
| 2006-06-29 proplay.ru |
| Interview in Russian with Roman Gammel (1-10-42) about the Budapest 2006 tournament and the Russian "Sapper" Community. |
Checked ... No Mines |
| 2006-04-26 World & Capital Magazine |
| Interview in Russian with Roman Gammel (1-10-42) after he won the Budapest 2006 tournament. |
Fun, games, and geopolitics: updating Minesweeper for Vista |
| 2006-04-10 arstechnica.com by Matt Mondok |
| Ars Technica discusses the new Flower version of Minesweeper and the Shell Revealed article on its design controversy. |
The Penultimate Word |
| 2006-03-15 The Daily Free Press by Ethan Rosenberg |
| Minesweeper is "the finest procrastination tool ever invented". |
Vista puts gaming front and center |
| 2006-01-06 joystiq.com by James Ransom-Wiley |
| Early preview of Vista games with an early screenshot of a Minesweeper icon that was ultimately not used. |
Checked - There are Mines! |
| 2005-07-14 computerra.ru |
| Interview in Russian with Vladimir Orlov (1-17-56) about the Budapest 2005 tournament and the world rankings at Planet Minesweeper. |
Is that a spreadsheet on your screen - or solitaire? |
| 2005-03-18 csmonitor.com by Patrik Jonsson |
| A Republican senator in North Carolina proposes Senate Bill 221 to ban computer games on government machines. The Christian Science Monitor reports that Solitaire and Minesweeper were being banned and dozens of websites copy the story. |
Extra Stuff - Minesweeper |
| 2004-10-11 J K Rowling |
| The author of Harry Potter plays Minesweeper while writing "The Half Blood Prince" and recently scored 99 seconds on Expert. |
Rowling's escape from sticky plots |
| 2004-06-24 The Scotsman by Ian Johnson |
| The Scotsman incorrectly claims that J K Rowling is close to being one of the world's top 100 players. |
JK Rowling is just six seconds away from joining another world elite |
| 2004-06-23 The Daily Record |
| The Daily Record incorrectly claims that J K Rowling nearly has the 95 second sum needed to join the world's top 100 players. |
Extra Stuff - Minesweeper |
| 2004-06-05 J K Rowling |
| The author of Harry Potter plays Minesweeper while writing "The Half Blood Prince" and scores 101 seconds on Expert. |
Games At Work May Be Good For You |
| 2003-11-07 BBC |
| A Dutch insurance firm allows employees to play Minesweeper to boost morale and productivity. |
Clean Sweep or Dud? |
| 2002-06-15 Sydney Morning Herald by Peter Fitzsimmons |
| A columnist asks readers to submit their best Minesweeper scores. |
Windows Minesweeper is an ‘offence to mine victims’ |
| 2001-06-21 theregister.com by Robert Blincoe |
| Short article about the "International Campaign to Ban Winmine". |
Minesweeper could explode hard maths problem |
| 2000-11-06 theregister.com by Lucy Sherriff |
| The Clay Mathematics Institute is offering a million dollar prize for solving the NP-Complete problem inherent in Minesweeper. |
Minesweeper: Secret to age-old puzzle? |
| 2000-11-03 USA Today |
| USA Today announces that solving Minesweeper can win you a million dollars from the Clay Mathematics Institute. |
Minesweeper could hold key to Net security |
| 2000-11-01 Boston Globe by Gareth Cook |
| The Boston Globe announces that solving Minesweeper can win you a million dollars from the Clay Mathematics Institute. |
Million Dollar Minesweeper |
| 2000-11-01 Clay Mathematics Institute by Ian Stewart |
| Ian Stewart explains the P=NP problem and how writing an efficient solver for Minesweeper could win the Clay Institute Millenium Prize. The article was also published in Scientific American magazine. |
Minesweeper Logic |
| 1999-05-03 Mathematical Association of America by Ivars Peterson |
| Mathematical Association of America article observes that Minesweeper can be used for teaching logic. Each flag is a theorem. |
Minesweeper at Work |
| 1998-10-23 University of Waterloo by Nick Taylor |
| Humourous article about minesweeper for a university newspaper. |
Are federal workers playing games just for fun? |
| 1997-09-01 Government Computer News by Walter R. Houser |
| Two US federal senators propose a bill amendment (Section 639 of S 1023 in the 1998 Treasury, Postal Service and General Government appropriations bill) to ban computer games on government computers. |
Trying to Zap the Games That Workers Play |
| 1997-04-06 New York Times by John H. Cushman Jr |
| DVD Software releases "Antigame" to delete Solitaire, Minesweeper and other games from Windows machines. |
Dark Secret Confession Of A Tetris / Minesweeper Addict |
| 1997-03-14 Heraldn Sphere by Elbert Ventura |
| Humourous article about tetris and minesweeper addiction. |
Out-of-the-box is just the beginning for new federal PCs |
| 1995-09-04 Government Computer News by Cynthia Morgan |
| A survey found that only 30% of government departments had complied with rules to delete Solitaire, Minesweeper and other games from their computers. |
Office Minefield |
| 1994-03-09 Washington Post by Joel Garreau |
| Interviews with people from Microsoft and stories about Bill Gates playing Minesweeper. |
Users reply with some useful tips and tricks on Windows 3.1 |
| 1992-05-11 InfoWorld Magazine by Brian Livingston |
| Columnist describes the XYZZY cheat for Minesweeper. |
Games from Artworx and Microsoft Prove that Doing Windows Can Be Fun |
| 1991-05-28 PC Magazine by Don Trivette |
| Review of the Windows Entertainment Pack. Minesweeper "is quick fun while you're on hold waiting for the accounting department". The article claims you locate mines with either your foot or a mine detector which is incorrect as WEP did not ship with the foot cursor option. |
New Ways to Play Games With Windows |
| 1990-11-27 New York Times by L. R. Shannon |
| Review of games for Windows including the new Windows Entertainment Pack. Minesweeper is described as "an urgent exercise in logic". |