TodayHint

Pips August 2, 2026: Hints & Answers

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

Recap

The easy board requires logical placement based on simple constraints. The medium board adds complexity with more regions and dominoes. The hard board demands careful consideration of many constraints and domino values.

The three boards that day

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

Easy board · 5 dominoes · 6 regions

0–01–13–56–32–0

  • 2 ×one cell: left uncovered.
  • four cells: exactly 1.
  • one cell: more than 1.
  • two cells: exactly 6.
  • one cell: more than 5.

Small number of dominoes and simple constraints make this easy.

Medium board · 7 dominoes · 8 regions

0–35–53–46–24–43–30–4

  • one cell: more than 0.
  • 2 ×two cells: all matching.
  • four cells: all different.
  • two cells: exactly 8.
  • 2 ×one cell: exactly 3.
  • one cell: more than 3.

More regions and dominoes add complexity compared to easy.

Hard board · 16 dominoes · 23 regions

1–62–01–43–30–02–51–35–02–61–12–34–60–15–32–16–3

  • two cells: under 3.
  • 4 ×one cell: left uncovered.
  • 4 ×one cell: exactly 3.
  • 3 ×one cell: exactly 5.
  • 3 ×one cell: exactly 0.
  • 2 ×four cells: all matching.
  • one cell: more than 5.
  • 2 ×two cells: all matching.
  • one cell: under 3.
  • one cell: more than 3.
  • one cell: under 5.

Large number of dominoes and complex constraints make this challenging.

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, 6 regions (2 empty, 2 greater, 2 sum)
    Medium board
    7 dominoes, 8 regions (3 sum, 2 equals, 2 greater, 1 unequal)
    Hard board
    16 dominoes, 23 regions (10 sum, 4 empty, 4 equals, 3 less, 2 greater)
    Back to the board inventories
  2. Easy board: how to approach it

    Method only.

    Start by identifying regions with the fewest possible domino placements based on their constraints.

  3. Easy board: where to start

    One region named by its constraint.

    Focus on the region that must contain a single cell with a value greater than 1.

  4. Medium board: approach and first region

    The same two steps, one difficulty up.

    Look for regions with equality constraints to simplify placements, then use domino values to satisfy other conditions.

    Begin with the equals over 2 cells region, which has limited domino options.

  5. Hard board: how to approach it

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

    Identify and prioritize regions with strict constraints like less 3 over 2 cells or sum 0 over 1 cell to limit domino options.

  6. Hard board: where to start

    The last rung before the full walkthroughs.

    Start with a region that has a sum constraint over a small number of cells, like sum 0 over 1 cell.

    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 0/0 domino first, then use the sum 1 over 4 cells to place the 1/1 domino. Next, the 2/0 domino goes in the empty over 1 cell region. The 3/5 and 6/3 dominoes fit in the remaining regions based on their values and the greater and sum constraints.

  • Medium board · 7 dominoes

    Medium board walkthrough

    Place dominoes to satisfy equals and sum constraints first. The 0/4 and 3/3 dominoes have limited placement options. Use the sum 8 over 2 cells to guide placement of higher-value dominoes like 5/5 and 6/2. The unequal over 4 cells region helps place the remaining dominoes.

  • Hard board · 16 dominoes

    Hard board walkthrough

    Begin by placing dominoes with extreme values like 0/0, 2/0, and 6/3 to satisfy sum 0 and less 3 constraints. Use equals over 4 cells to place dominoes like 1/1 and 2/1. Continue with sum and greater constraints, fitting dominoes like 5/3 and 4/6 into place. The many empty over 1 cell regions help guide the placement of remaining dominoes. Focus on one area at a time to keep track of possibilities.

Those boards by the numbers

Date
Sunday, August 2, 2026
Boards
3 — easy, medium, hard
Dominoes in play
28 across the three boards
Easy board
5 dominoes · 6 regions
Medium board
7 dominoes · 8 regions
Hard board
16 dominoes · 23 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