TodayHint

Pips August 25, 2026: Hints & Answers

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

Recap

The easy board requires strategic placement of 5 dominoes. The medium board adds more complexity with 7 dominoes and varied constraints. The hard board demands careful planning with 11 dominoes and intricate constraints.

The three boards that day

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

Easy board · 5 dominoes · 6 regions

3–36–10–14–56–5

  • 2 ×two cells: exactly 9.
  • three cells: exactly 9.
  • 2 ×one cell: under 2.
  • one cell: left uncovered.

Small number of dominoes and simple constraints make this easy.

Medium board · 7 dominoes · 8 regions

6–34–63–26–50–06–61–6

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

More dominoes and varied constraints increase the challenge.

Hard board · 11 dominoes · 9 regions

3–16–60–25–30–41–10–54–65–20–63–3

  • two cells: exactly 2.
  • 2 ×two cells: exactly 9.
  • one cell: left uncovered.
  • two cells: exactly 6.
  • two cells: exactly 4.
  • two cells: exactly 10.
  • six cells: all different.
  • three cells: exactly 8.

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 sum, 2 less, 1 empty)
    Medium board
    7 dominoes, 8 regions (4 equals, 1 empty, 1 greater, 1 less, 1 sum)
    Hard board
    11 dominoes, 9 regions (7 sum, 1 empty, 1 unequal)
    Back to the board inventories
  2. Easy board: how to approach it

    Method only.

    Focus on regions with limited possibilities, such as those with a sum or difference constraint.

  3. Easy board: where to start

    One region named by its constraint.

    Begin with the region that requires a sum of 9 over 2 cells.

  4. Medium board: approach and first region

    The same two steps, one difficulty up.

    Look for regions with equality constraints to limit domino placement options.

    Start with the region that must have equal values over 2 cells.

  5. Hard board: how to approach it

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

    Identify regions with the most restrictive constraints, like sum 2 over 2 cells, to start.

  6. Hard board: where to start

    The last rung before the full walkthroughs.

    Begin with the region that requires a sum of 2 over 2 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 3/3 domino, then the 6/1 domino. Next, place the 0/1 domino. The 4/5 and 6/5 dominoes will fit in the remaining spots.

  • Medium board · 7 dominoes

    Medium board walkthrough

    Place the 6/6 domino, then the 0/0 domino. Use the equality constraints to place the 4/6 and 6/5 dominoes. Continue with the remaining dominoes.

  • Hard board · 11 dominoes

    Hard board walkthrough

    Place the 1/1 domino in the sum 2 region. Then, place the 0/2 and 0/4 dominoes. Continue by placing the 3/1 domino. The 6/6 domino will fit in one of the sum 9 regions. Next, place the 5/3 and 0/5 dominoes. Use the unequal constraint to guide the 4/6, 5/2, and 0/6 dominoes. Finish with the 3/3 domino.

Those boards by the numbers

Date
Tuesday, August 25, 2026
Boards
3 — easy, medium, hard
Dominoes in play
23 across the three boards
Easy board
5 dominoes · 6 regions
Medium board
7 dominoes · 8 regions
Hard board
11 dominoes · 9 regions

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