TodayHint

Pips August 5, 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 across 7 regions. The medium board adds more complexity with 7 dominoes and varied constraints. The hard board is the most challenging with 15 dominoes and 16 regions.

The three boards that day

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

Easy board · 5 dominoes · 7 regions

6–66–53–63–12–1

  • one cell: left uncovered.
  • one cell: more than 4.
  • 2 ×two cells: exactly 8.
  • two cells: all matching.
  • 2 ×one cell: under 2.

Small number of dominoes makes it manageable.

Medium board · 7 dominoes · 7 regions

5–21–10–65–11–02–22–1

  • 2 ×two cells: all matching.
  • one cell: exactly 1.
  • two cells: more than 4.
  • one cell: more than 2.
  • two cells: under 4.
  • four cells: all matching.

More dominoes and constraints add complexity.

Hard board · 15 dominoes · 16 regions

3–41–12–24–53–16–42–56–02–45–61–20–51–64–41–5

  • 3 ×four cells: all matching.
  • 3 ×two cells: all matching.
  • one cell: more than 4.
  • 4 ×one cell: more than 3.
  • 2 ×one cell: exactly 3.
  • 2 ×two cells: exactly 12.
  • one cell: under 3.

Large number of dominoes and complex constraints make it 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, 7 regions (2 less, 2 sum, 1 empty, 1 equals, 1 greater)
    Medium board
    7 dominoes, 7 regions (3 equals, 2 greater, 1 less, 1 sum)
    Hard board
    15 dominoes, 16 regions (6 equals, 5 greater, 4 sum, 1 less)
    Back to the board inventories
  2. Easy board: how to approach it

    Method only.

    Start by identifying regions with the fewest possible domino combinations and use process of elimination.

  3. Easy board: where to start

    One region named by its constraint.

    Begin with the region that has a sum constraint over 2 cells.

  4. Medium board: approach and first region

    The same two steps, one difficulty up.

    Focus on regions with unique constraints like sum 1 and build from there.

    Start with the region that has an equals constraint over 2 cells.

  5. Hard board: how to approach it

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

    Look for regions with multiple constraints and use dominoes with high and low values strategically.

  6. Hard board: where to start

    The last rung before the full walkthroughs.

    Begin with a region that has an equals constraint over 4 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 6/6 domino, then use the sum 8 constraint to place the 2/6 combination, followed by the 3/1 and 2/1 dominoes in the comparison regions.

  • Medium board · 7 dominoes

    Medium board walkthrough

    Place the 1/1 domino, then use the equals constraints to place the 2/2 and 5/2 dominoes, followed by the remaining dominoes in the comparison regions.

  • Hard board · 15 dominoes

    Hard board walkthrough

    Start by placing the 6/4 and 4/4 dominoes to satisfy the equals constraints, then use the sum 12 constraint to place the 5/6 and 6/0 dominoes. Continue with the comparison regions, using the dominoes with high and low values to satisfy the constraints. Place the 3/4 and 2/5 dominoes, then fill in the remaining regions.

Those boards by the numbers

Date
Wednesday, August 5, 2026
Boards
3 — easy, medium, hard
Dominoes in play
27 across the three boards
Easy board
5 dominoes · 7 regions
Medium board
7 dominoes · 7 regions
Hard board
15 dominoes · 16 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