TodayHint

Pips August 23, 2026: Hints & Answers

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

Recap

The easy board requires strategic placement of dominoes in regions with limited options. The medium board involves finding dominoes that add up to target sums. The hard board demands careful consideration of multiple constraints and domino combinations.

The three boards that day

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

Easy board · 5 dominoes · 8 regions

5–62–34–65–20–6

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

Easy board with straightforward region constraints.

Medium board · 7 dominoes · 8 regions

2–04–50–31–12–53–30–5

  • one cell: more than 1.
  • 2 ×two cells: exactly 4.
  • 2 ×two cells: all matching.
  • three cells: all matching.
  • 2 ×one cell: left uncovered.

Medium board with some challenging region constraints.

Hard board · 11 dominoes · 11 regions

6–45–14–46–61–30–24–36–15–04–20–6

  • two cells: exactly 8.
  • two cells: exactly 4.
  • two cells: exactly 7.
  • two cells: exactly 3.
  • one cell: exactly 5.
  • 2 ×three cells: exactly 12.
  • three cells: exactly 9.
  • two cells: all matching.
  • one cell: more than 2.
  • one cell: exactly 2.

Hard board with complex and interconnected region constraints.

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, 8 regions (2 empty, 2 equals, 2 greater, 1 less, 1 sum)
    Medium board
    7 dominoes, 8 regions (3 equals, 2 empty, 2 sum, 1 greater)
    Hard board
    11 dominoes, 11 regions (9 sum, 1 equals, 1 greater)
    Back to the board inventories
  2. Easy board: how to approach it

    Method only.

    Start by identifying regions with the most constraints and look for dominoes that can only fit in one place.

  3. Easy board: where to start

    One region named by its constraint.

    Begin with an equals over 2 cell(s) region, as it has the most limited options.

  4. Medium board: approach and first region

    The same two steps, one difficulty up.

    Look for regions with sum constraints and try to place dominoes that add up to the target sum.

    Start with a sum 4 over 2 cell(s) region, as it has a limited number of possibilities.

  5. Hard board: how to approach it

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

    Focus on regions with multiple constraints and try to find dominoes that satisfy multiple conditions.

  6. Hard board: where to start

    The last rung before the full walkthroughs.

    Begin with a sum 12 over 3 cell(s) region, as it has a unique combination of dominoes.

    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 5/6 in equals over 2 cell(s) region. Then, place 2/3 in less 4 over 1 cell(s) region. Next, place 4/6 in equals over 2 cell(s) region. Place 5/2 in greater 5 over 1 cell(s) region. Finally, place 0/6 in empty over 1 cell(s) region.

  • Medium board · 7 dominoes

    Medium board walkthrough

    Place 2/0 in empty over 1 cell(s) region. Then, place 4/5 in sum 4 over 2 cell(s) region. Next, place 0/3 in equals over 3 cell(s) region. Place 1/1 in equals over 2 cell(s) region. Then, place 2/5 in greater 1 over 1 cell(s) region. Place 3/3 in sum 4 over 2 cell(s) region. Finally, place 0/5 in empty over 1 cell(s) region.

  • Hard board · 11 dominoes

    Hard board walkthrough

    Place 6/4 in sum 12 over 3 cell(s) region. Then, place 5/1 in sum 7 over 2 cell(s) region. Next, place 4/4 in equals over 2 cell(s) region. Place 6/6 in sum 9 over 3 cell(s) region. Then, place 1/3 in sum 3 over 2 cell(s) region. Place 0/2 in empty over 1 cell(s) region. Next, place 4/3 in sum 5 over 1 cell(s) region. Place 6/1 in greater 2 over 1 cell(s) region. Then, place 5/0 in sum 8 over 2 cell(s) region. Place 4/2 in sum 4 over 2 cell(s) region. Finally, place 0/6 in sum 2 over 1 cell(s) region.

Those boards by the numbers

Date
Sunday, August 23, 2026
Boards
3 — easy, medium, hard
Dominoes in play
23 across the three boards
Easy board
5 dominoes · 8 regions
Medium board
7 dominoes · 8 regions
Hard board
11 dominoes · 11 regions

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