TodayHint

Pips July 12, 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 is the most challenging with 16 dominoes and 29 regions.

The three boards that day

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

Easy board · 5 dominoes · 8 regions

3–53–26–63–10–2

  • 4 ×one cell: left uncovered.
  • one cell: more than 4.
  • one cell: exactly 3.
  • two cells: exactly 3.
  • two cells: exactly 9.

Small number of dominoes makes it manageable.

Medium board · 7 dominoes · 8 regions

2–52–04–10–05–30–10–4

  • 2 ×one cell: left uncovered.
  • two cells: exactly 8.
  • two cells: exactly 2.
  • 2 ×two cells: all matching.
  • three cells: exactly 7.
  • one cell: exactly 2.

More dominoes and varied constraints increase difficulty.

Hard board · 16 dominoes · 29 regions

0–10–20–30–40–51–21–31–41–52–32–42–53–43–54–53–6

  • 5 ×one cell: exactly 3.
  • 4 ×one cell: exactly 5.
  • 5 ×one cell: exactly 0.
  • 5 ×one cell: exactly 2.
  • 4 ×one cell: exactly 4.
  • 5 ×one cell: exactly 1.
  • four cells: exactly 18.

Large number of dominoes and regions makes 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, 8 regions (4 empty, 3 sum, 1 greater)
    Medium board
    7 dominoes, 8 regions (4 sum, 2 empty, 2 equals)
    Hard board
    16 dominoes, 29 regions (29 sum)
    Back to the board inventories
  2. Easy board: how to approach it

    Method only.

    Start by identifying regions with the fewest possible domino placements.

  3. Easy board: where to start

    One region named by its constraint.

    Look for a region that is empty over 1 cell.

  4. Medium board: approach and first region

    The same two steps, one difficulty up.

    Focus on regions with specific sum constraints to limit domino options.

    Choose a region with a sum 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 small sum constraints to start placing dominoes.

  6. Hard board: where to start

    The last rung before the full walkthroughs.

    Find a region with a sum constraint over 1 cell.

    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 3/2 domino first, then use the 6/6 domino to block a region. Continue with the 3/1 and 0/2 dominoes.

  • Medium board · 7 dominoes

    Medium board walkthrough

    Begin with the 2/0 and 0/0 dominoes to satisfy the equals constraint. Then place the 5/3 domino.

  • Hard board · 16 dominoes

    Hard board walkthrough

    Start by placing dominoes with low numbers to satisfy small sum constraints. Use the 0/1, 0/2, and 0/3 dominoes to fill in regions with sum 0 or 1 constraints. Then, focus on regions with higher sum constraints, such as the sum 5 over 1 cell region, which can be filled with the 2/3 or 1/4 dominoes. Continue this process, using the dominoes with higher numbers to satisfy the larger sum constraints. For example, the sum 18 over 4 cell region can be filled with a combination of dominoes like 3/6, 4/5, and 3/5. As you place more dominoes, pay attention to the remaining regions and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Those boards by the numbers

Date
Sunday, July 12, 2026
Boards
3 — easy, medium, hard
Dominoes in play
28 across the three boards
Easy board
5 dominoes · 8 regions
Medium board
7 dominoes · 8 regions
Hard board
16 dominoes · 29 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