TodayHint

Pips July 16, 2026: Hints & Answers

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

Recap

The easy board requires strategic placement to meet the simple constraints. The medium board adds complexity with repeated constraints. The hard board demands careful planning to satisfy the numerous and varied constraints.

The three boards that day

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

Easy board · 5 dominoes · 5 regions

5–56–64–13–30–0

  • one cell: more than 5.
  • two cells: exactly 6.
  • three cells: exactly 1.
  • three cells: exactly 16.
  • one cell: left uncovered.

This board is relatively straightforward with simple constraints.

Medium board · 7 dominoes · 7 regions

3–65–51–54–53–30–61–4

  • 3 ×two cells: exactly 10.
  • 2 ×one cell: left uncovered.
  • three cells: all matching.
  • three cells: exactly 10.

The repeated sum 10 constraints add some complexity.

Hard board · 15 dominoes · 14 regions

0–00–10–20–30–40–50–61–11–31–42–32–43–33–54–4

  • 3 ×three cells: all matching.
  • 2 ×one cell: under 3.
  • one cell: more than 3.
  • one cell: more than 4.
  • four cells: all matching.
  • five cells: all matching.
  • three cells: under 3.
  • two cells: exactly 2.
  • one cell: exactly 6.
  • one cell: left uncovered.
  • one cell: exactly 1.

The large number of dominoes and complex constraints make this board 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, 5 regions (3 sum, 1 empty, 1 greater)
    Medium board
    7 dominoes, 7 regions (4 sum, 2 empty, 1 equals)
    Hard board
    15 dominoes, 14 regions (5 equals, 3 less, 3 sum, 2 greater, 1 empty)
    Back to the board inventories
  2. Easy board: how to approach it

    Method only.

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

  3. Easy board: where to start

    One region named by its constraint.

    The region with the greater 5 constraint over 1 cell is a good starting point.

  4. Medium board: approach and first region

    The same two steps, one difficulty up.

    Focus on the equals constraint over 3 cells and try to find a domino that can satisfy it.

    The equals constraint over 3 cells is a good starting point.

  5. Hard board: how to approach it

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

    Look for regions with the most restrictive or unique constraints and start by satisfying those.

  6. Hard board: where to start

    The last rung before the full walkthroughs.

    The region with the greater 4 constraint over 1 cell is a good starting point.

    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 5/5 domino in the greater 5 region. Then, place the 0/0 domino in the empty region. Next, use the 4/1 domino in the sum 16 region. The 3/3 domino fits in the sum 6 region. Finally, place the 6/6 domino.

  • Medium board · 7 dominoes

    Medium board walkthrough

    Begin with the equals over 3 cells region. Use the 3/3 domino here. Then, place the 5/5 domino in a sum 10 region. The 1/4 and 0/6 dominoes can be placed in other sum 10 regions. Continue with the remaining dominoes, fitting them into the constraints.

  • Hard board · 15 dominoes

    Hard board walkthrough

    Start with the greater 4 region, using the 4/4 domino. Then, satisfy the equals constraints over 3 and 4 cells with suitable dominoes. The less 3 over 1 cell region can be filled with a 0/x domino. Continue systematically, using the sum and equals constraints to guide the placement of dominoes. The 0/0, 1/1, and other low-value dominoes are crucial for satisfying the sum constraints. As the board fills, focus on the remaining regions, ensuring each constraint is met.

Those boards by the numbers

Date
Thursday, July 16, 2026
Boards
3 — easy, medium, hard
Dominoes in play
27 across the three boards
Easy board
5 dominoes · 5 regions
Medium board
7 dominoes · 7 regions
Hard board
15 dominoes · 14 regions

More Pips

See the live Pips hints and answers page for the current boards, or browse every archived Pips date by month.

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