TodayHint

Pips August 22, 2026: Hints & Answers

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

Recap

The easy board requires strategic placement to satisfy simple constraints. The medium board adds complexity with more regions and dominoes. The hard board demands careful consideration of sum and equals constraints to solve.

The three boards that day

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

Easy board · 5 dominoes · 6 regions

2–20–61–30–52–6

  • one cell: under 3.
  • 3 ×two cells: all matching.
  • two cells: more than 6.
  • one cell: left uncovered.

Small number of dominoes and simple constraints make this easy.

Medium board · 7 dominoes · 8 regions

0–42–11–46–03–41–04–4

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

More regions and dominoes add complexity compared to easy.

Hard board · 15 dominoes · 14 regions

2–60–41–13–41–56–04–41–65–43–62–43–04–60–52–2

  • 2 ×two cells: all matching.
  • 2 ×two cells: exactly 5.
  • three cells: exactly 16.
  • two cells: exactly 2.
  • two cells: exactly 12.
  • three cells: exactly 2.
  • two cells: exactly 10.
  • three cells: all matching.
  • two cells: exactly 8.
  • one cell: left uncovered.
  • two cells: exactly 1.
  • two cells: exactly 4.

Many 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 (3 equals, 1 empty, 1 greater, 1 less)
    Medium board
    7 dominoes, 8 regions (3 less, 2 equals, 2 greater, 1 empty)
    Hard board
    15 dominoes, 14 regions (10 sum, 3 equals, 1 empty)
    Back to the board inventories
  2. Easy board: how to approach it

    Method only.

    Start by identifying regions with the most constraints to limit possibilities.

  3. Easy board: where to start

    One region named by its constraint.

    Focus on the region with the greater 6 constraint over 2 cells.

  4. Medium board: approach and first region

    The same two steps, one difficulty up.

    Look for regions with unique constraints to start placing dominoes.

    Start with the region that has the empty constraint over 1 cell.

  5. Hard board: how to approach it

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

    Identify regions with sum constraints to start, as they limit domino placements significantly.

  6. Hard board: where to start

    The last rung before the full walkthroughs.

    Focus on the region with the sum 16 constraint over 3 cells.

    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 2/6 domino, then the 0/5 domino in a way that satisfies the greater 6 constraint. Next, place the 1/3 domino to satisfy the equals constraints. The 2/2 domino will help with the remaining equals constraints. Finally, place the 0/6 domino.

  • Medium board · 7 dominoes

    Medium board walkthrough

    Begin by placing the 0/4 domino to satisfy the empty constraint. Then, place the 2/1 domino to help with less constraints. Continue with the 1/4 domino for equals constraints. Place the 6/0 domino to satisfy the greater constraint. The remaining dominoes will fit into place with careful consideration of the less and equals constraints.

  • Hard board · 15 dominoes

    Hard board walkthrough

    Begin by placing dominoes to satisfy the sum 16 constraint, likely involving high-value dominoes. Then, address regions with sum constraints like 5, 10, and 12, which will help place other dominoes. Continue with equals and empty constraints, ensuring each domino fits the regional requirements. The dominoes with values like 6/0 and 4/4 will be crucial in satisfying multiple constraints. Carefully place each domino to meet the regional constraints, using the process of elimination and ensuring that each placement does not violate any constraints.

Those boards by the numbers

Date
Saturday, August 22, 2026
Boards
3 — easy, medium, hard
Dominoes in play
27 across the three boards
Easy board
5 dominoes · 6 regions
Medium board
7 dominoes · 8 regions
Hard board
15 dominoes · 14 regions

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