TodayHint

Pips August 1, 2026: Hints & Answers

Constructed by Ian Livengood, Ian Livengood, Rodolfo Kurchan, edited by Ian Livengood.

Recap

The easy board requires straightforward domino placement, while the medium board demands more consideration of numerical constraints. The hard board is the most challenging, with a large number of dominoes and complex constraints that require careful planning.

The three boards that day

The tray and each region's rule — board data, no solutions.

Easy board · 5 dominoes · 7 regions

5–20–36–50–63–4

  • 3 ×one cell: left uncovered.
  • 2 ×two cells: all matching.
  • one cell: more than 4.
  • two cells: exactly 2.

This board is relatively straightforward due to the small number of dominoes and simple constraints.

Medium board · 7 dominoes · 8 regions

5–30–01–23–33–46–65–0

  • 2 ×two cells: all matching.
  • two cells: exactly 6.
  • one cell: left uncovered.
  • two cells: exactly 10.
  • three cells: all different.
  • one cell: under 2.
  • one cell: more than 4.

This board requires more careful consideration of domino values and their impact on multiple regions.

Hard board · 15 dominoes · 12 regions

1–50–03–52–13–36–24–43–05–50–21–46–34–21–03–4

  • one cell: exactly 3.
  • 2 ×two cells: exactly 9.
  • 2 ×two cells: all matching.
  • four cells: all matching.
  • 3 ×two cells: exactly 10.
  • 2 ×five cells: all matching.
  • one cell: exactly 4.

This board is challenging due to its size, complex constraints, and the need for careful domino placement to satisfy multiple regions simultaneously.

Pips hints, one rung at a time

Six rungs, easy board first. The recap above already named the walkthroughs, so this ladder is here for anyone replaying the boards fresh rather than as a spoiler shield.

  1. How the three boards compared

    Sizes and constraint mixes, counted off the boards.

    Easy board
    5 dominoes, 7 regions (3 empty, 2 equals, 1 greater, 1 sum)
    Medium board
    7 dominoes, 8 regions (2 equals, 2 sum, 1 empty, 1 greater, 1 less, 1 unequal)
    Hard board
    15 dominoes, 12 regions (7 sum, 5 equals)
    Back to the board inventories
  2. Easy board: how to approach it

    Method only.

    Start by identifying regions with the fewest possible domino placements, focusing on those with specific numerical constraints.

  3. Easy board: where to start

    One region named by its constraint.

    The region with the 'sum 2 over 2 cells' constraint, as it has limited possibilities.

  4. Medium board: approach and first region

    The same two steps, one difficulty up.

    Begin by focusing on regions with specific numerical constraints, such as sum 6 and sum 10, to limit domino placement options.

    The region with the 'less 2 over 1 cell' constraint, as it can help eliminate possibilities for nearby regions.

  5. Hard board: how to approach it

    Where the hard board differed in kind, not just size.

    Start by identifying and filling regions with the most restrictive constraints, such as sum 3 and equals over 5 cells.

  6. Hard board: where to start

    The last rung before the full walkthroughs.

    The region with the 'sum 3 over 1 cell' constraint, as it has a very limited set of possible domino placements.

    Open the full walkthroughs

Every Pips walkthrough from that day

All three walkthroughs, folded: each one places every domino on its board, one after another.

  • Easy board · 5 dominoes

    Easy board walkthrough

    Place the 0/3 domino in the empty region over 1 cell. Then, place the 5/2 domino in the equals region over 2 cells. Next, place the 3/4 domino in the sum 2 region over 2 cells. The 0/6 domino goes in another empty region over 1 cell. Finally, place the 6/5 domino in the greater 4 region over 1 cell.

  • Medium board · 7 dominoes

    Medium board walkthrough

    Place the 0/0 domino in the empty region over 1 cell. Then, place the 5/0 domino in the less 2 region over 1 cell. Next, place the 3/3 domino in the equals region over 2 cells. The 5/3 domino goes in the sum 6 region over 2 cells. Continue with the 1/2 domino in the unequal region over 3 cells, and the 6/6 domino in another equals region. Finally, place the 3/4 domino in the greater 4 region over 1 cell.

  • Hard board · 15 dominoes

    Hard board walkthrough

    Begin by placing the 1/2 domino in the sum 3 region. Then, place the 0/0 domino in an equals region over 2 cells. Continue by filling in dominoes around the board, using the constraints to guide placement. For example, place the 3/0 domino in an empty region, and the 6/2 domino in a region that satisfies its constraint. As the board fills, focus on satisfying the equals regions over 5 cells and the sum 10 regions. The 4/4 domino goes in an equals region, and the 5/5 domino in another. Carefully place the remaining dominoes to satisfy all constraints.

Those boards by the numbers

Date
Saturday, August 1, 2026
Boards
3 — easy, medium, hard
Dominoes in play
27 across the three boards
Easy board
5 dominoes · 7 regions
Medium board
7 dominoes · 8 regions
Hard board
15 dominoes · 12 regions

More Pips

See the live Pips hints and answers page for the current boards, or browse every archived Pips date by month.

Try the other two puzzles