For most players, the only measure of a good Minesweeper game is the timer. A low time means a good game, and a high time means a slow one. But have you ever felt that some "fast" games felt incredibly easy, while some of your "slower" games required far more complex logic? This is where time alone fails as a metric. To truly understand your skill and the difficulty of a particular board, you need to know about 3BV.
What Does 3BV Stand For?
3BV stands for Bechtel's Board Benchmark Value, named after its creator, Stephan Bechtel. It is a calculation that determines the minimum number of left-clicks required to clear a specific board.
Essentially, it answers the question: "If a perfect player made only the most efficient moves, how many clicks would it take to win this game?"
The 3BV of a board is calculated by counting two things:
The number of "openings": These are the blank '0' areas on the board. Since clicking any part of a blank area reveals the entire thing, it counts as a single click.
The number of remaining numbers: After all the blank areas are accounted for, any number that is not touching a blank area must be clicked individually to be revealed. These are also counted.
The sum of these two values is the board's 3BV. A board with a low 3BV (e.g., 30 on an Expert board) is considered "easy" because it can be solved with very few clicks. A board with a high 3BV (e.g., 120) is "hard" because it requires many more individual clicks.
How 3BV Measures Your Efficiency
This is where it gets interesting. The 3BV is a property of the board itself, but your performance is measured by how closely your actual click count matches the 3BV.
Your Clicks vs. Board 3BV: If a board has a 3BV of 50 and you solve it in 55 clicks, you were extremely efficient! If you solved it in 80 clicks, it means you made many unnecessary clicks on squares that could have been cleared by chording.
The Ultimate Metric: 3BV/s: For speedrunners, the most important statistic is 3BV per second (3BV/s). This is calculated by dividing the board's 3BV by your time in seconds. This metric measures not just your raw speed, but your efficiency at that speed. A player who solves a hard board (high 3BV) quickly will have a much higher 3BV/s than a player who solves an easy board (low 3BV) in the same amount of time. It levels the playing field and reveals who the truly skilled player is.
Understanding 3BV changes how you see the game. It's no longer just about getting a lucky, easy board to achieve a fast time. It's about becoming a more efficient player, making every single click count, and truly mastering the logic of the minefield. So next time you play, think not just about the clock, but about the efficiency of your clicks.