Top 3 Most Famous Minesweeper Solvers
Minesweeper was just one of the several games featured in Microsoft Windows in 1990. In just a few years, it became one of the most popular ones. This is a notable achievement, especially considering the presence of other major games like Tetris. Its rapid success, though, is not at all surprising.
While it seems like a simple and undemanding game, it actually requires players to analyze and calculate each movement. It demands logical skills and pattern recognition to master Minesweeper. And that challenging aspect of the puzzle attracts many players. Let’s check the world records set.
1. Kamil Muranski – The Fastest Minesweeper Solver
Kamil Muranski is one of the top Minesweeper players in the world. He was the leader in all three categories (Beginner, Intermediate, and Expert) from 2009 to 2020. Muranski dominated the Minesweeper scene during the 2010s, setting various world records between 2009 and 2010. His best score was achieved in July 2010, solving an Expert puzzle in 31.13 seconds. This record surpassed Ian Fraser, who had been competing for the leader spot with Muranski during 2009 and was maintained for 10 years.
But his record-breaking career actually started earlier, in March 2008. On the 12th, he set the Beginner record at 0.49 seconds and kept it until 2014. 5 days later, on the 17th, he solved an Intermediate puzzle in 9.01 seconds and kept setting new records until 2012, when he solved the puzzle in 7.03 seconds. This record-breaking streak was a driver for the rest of the community to keep improving and benefitted the growth of Minesweeper.
2. Ze-En Ju – The Young Prodigy
Muranski’s reign ended in 2020 when the young Ze-En Ju swept the scene. At only 12 years old, almost as old as the record he broke, Ju solved an Expert puzzle in 29.43 seconds, surpassing the previous record by 1.7 seconds. From 2020 to 2022, Ju lowered his time down to 26.59 seconds, the current world record for the Expert level. He started breaking Intermediate records a year later, in July 2021. Down from Muranski’s 7.03 seconds, he marked the new record at 6.96. Over the following months, he kept consistently breaking his own mark in Intermediate, establishing the current record of 5.80 seconds.
He displays amazing skills in his matches, with little use of flags and moderate use of chording, with advanced pattern recognition dexterity.
3. Lasse Nyholm – The Strategy Innovator
Lasse Nyholm is also one of the legends from the early days of Minesweeper. He was the champion in Expert from January 2000 to December 2002. He was the second to achieve sub60 scores, after Scott Sukenick, but the first to consistently mark new records. At his best, he solved an Expert board in 41 seconds. Although Vincent Yeh momentarily surpassed him in June 2000, he quickly regained leadership and maintained it for another 2 years. Although he’s not active in the community anymore, he’s ranked 78 in the world rankings, with a cumulative time of 53.66 seconds.
Become the Next Minesweeper Legend – Start Practicing Today!
These players have all left a mark in the Minesweeper community. They were world champions during their time and played an important role in encouraging new players. The most logical conclusion is that other players can also make themselves a name in Minesweeper. The key to achieving this is consistent practice, starting with smaller grids but working your way up and keeping your brain active in recognizing patterns and thinking logically. The first competition is with yourself and your own records. Over time, this record will compete with the world’s most renowned names.
