TodayHint

Pips August 6, 2026: Hints & Answers

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

Recap

The easy board requires straightforward thinking, while the medium and hard boards demand more strategic planning and attention to region constraints. The hard board stands out for its complexity and number of dominoes.

The three boards that day

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

Easy board · 5 dominoes · 6 regions

1–13–34–45–56–6

  • two cells: exactly 7.
  • two cells: exactly 4.
  • 2 ×two cells: exactly 9.
  • one cell: left uncovered.
  • one cell: exactly 4.

This board is relatively straightforward due to the simple domino values and region constraints.

Medium board · 7 dominoes · 8 regions

4–20–24–41–36–24–15–4

  • three cells: all matching.
  • one cell: more than 4.
  • 2 ×two cells: all matching.
  • one cell: left uncovered.
  • one cell: under 1.
  • three cells: exactly 12.
  • one cell: more than 3.

This board requires more strategic thinking due to the variety of region constraints and domino values.

Hard board · 14 dominoes · 15 regions

2–00–51–15–51–34–40–01–20–45–26–03–40–12–2

  • 3 ×one cell: left uncovered.
  • two cells: exactly 10.
  • one cell: under 1.
  • 2 ×two cells: all matching.
  • five cells: all matching.
  • 2 ×three cells: all matching.
  • one cell: under 2.
  • two cells: more than 7.
  • one cell: more than 4.
  • two cells: exactly 4.
  • one cell: under 4.

This board is the most challenging due to the large number of dominoes and complex 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, 6 regions (5 sum, 1 empty)
    Medium board
    7 dominoes, 8 regions (3 equals, 2 greater, 1 empty, 1 less, 1 sum)
    Hard board
    14 dominoes, 15 regions (5 equals, 3 empty, 3 less, 2 greater, 2 sum)
    Back to the board inventories
  2. Easy board: how to approach it

    Method only.

    Focus on regions with limited possibilities, such as the single-cell sum and empty regions, to start building domino placements.

  3. Easy board: where to start

    One region named by its constraint.

    Begin with the region requiring a sum of 4 over 1 cell, as it has the fewest possibilities.

  4. Medium board: approach and first region

    The same two steps, one difficulty up.

    Look for regions with equality constraints, as they can help you narrow down domino placement options.

    Start with the region requiring a sum of 12 over 3 cells, as it has a unique combination of dominoes that can satisfy it.

  5. Hard board: how to approach it

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

    Begin by focusing on the regions with the most restrictive constraints, such as the equals over 5 cells region.

  6. Hard board: where to start

    The last rung before the full walkthroughs.

    Start with the equals over 5 cells region, as it has a unique set of dominoes that can satisfy it.

    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 4/4 domino in the sum 9 over 2 cells region. Then, place the 5/5 domino in the sum 9 over 2 cells region. Next, place the 6/6 domino in the sum 7 over 2 cells region. After that, place the 1/1 domino in the sum 4 over 2 cells region. Finally, place the 3/3 domino in the remaining region.

  • Medium board · 7 dominoes

    Medium board walkthrough

    Place the 4/4 domino in the equals over 2 cells region. Then, place the 5/4 domino in the sum 12 over 3 cells region. Next, place the 6/2 domino in the greater 4 over 1 cell region. After that, place the 4/2 domino in the equals over 2 cells region. Continue with the 1/3 domino in the less 1 over 1 cell region, and so on.

  • Hard board · 14 dominoes

    Hard board walkthrough

    Place the 0/0 domino in the equals over 5 cells region. Then, place the 5/5 domino in the sum 10 over 2 cells region. Next, place the 4/4 domino in the equals over 3 cells region. Continue with the 1/1 domino in the sum 4 over 2 cells region, and so on. The 2/0 and 6/0 dominoes can be placed in the greater 7 over 2 cells region. The 3/4 domino can be placed in the equals over 3 cells region. The 0/5 domino can be placed in the less 4 over 1 cell region.

Those boards by the numbers

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