TodayHint

Pips July 23, 2026: Hints & Answers

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

Recap

The easy board requires strategic placement of 5 dominoes across 8 regions. The medium board involves 9 dominoes and 10 regions with varied constraints. The hard board features 14 dominoes and 12 regions with sum-based constraints, making it the most challenging.

The three boards that day

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

Easy board · 5 dominoes · 8 regions

4–11–56–63–02–1

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

This board is relatively straightforward due to the small number of dominoes and simple constraints.

Medium board · 9 dominoes · 10 regions

0–43–25–20–02–22–46–51–06–4

  • one cell: under 2.
  • three cells: under 1.
  • one cell: more than 4.
  • four cells: all matching.
  • one cell: more than 2.
  • two cells: exactly 4.
  • two cells: more than 11.
  • two cells: all matching.
  • one cell: left uncovered.
  • one cell: exactly 2.

This board has more complex constraints and dominoes, making it moderately challenging.

Hard board · 14 dominoes · 12 regions

4–60–03–35–50–15–60–20–51–46–64–43–52–20–6

  • three cells: exactly 13.
  • four cells: exactly 22.
  • two cells: exactly 11.
  • three cells: exactly 1.
  • 2 ×two cells: exactly 9.
  • two cells: exactly 3.
  • two cells: exactly 7.
  • one cell: more than 0.
  • three cells: exactly 0.
  • three cells: all matching.
  • one cell: exactly 1.

This board is the most challenging due to the large number of dominoes and complex sum 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, 8 regions (2 empty, 2 equals, 2 less, 1 greater, 1 sum)
    Medium board
    9 dominoes, 10 regions (3 greater, 2 equals, 2 less, 2 sum, 1 empty)
    Hard board
    14 dominoes, 12 regions (10 sum, 1 equals, 1 greater)
    Back to the board inventories
  2. Easy board: how to approach it

    Method only.

    Start by identifying regions with the fewest possible domino placements, focusing on those with specific numerical constraints.

  3. Easy board: where to start

    One region named by its constraint.

    Begin with the region that must be empty over 1 cell, as it has the most restrictions.

  4. Medium board: approach and first region

    The same two steps, one difficulty up.

    Look for regions with multiple constraints that can help narrow down domino placement options, and start with those.

    Focus on the region with the equals constraint over 4 cells, as it has the most restrictions.

  5. Hard board: how to approach it

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

    Start by identifying regions with specific sum targets and try to combine dominoes to meet those targets.

  6. Hard board: where to start

    The last rung before the full walkthroughs.

    Begin with the region that requires a sum of 13 over 3 cells, as it's a unique constraint.

    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 first, as it's the only one that can fit in the greater 4 region. Then, use the equals over 2 cells to place the 2/1 and 4/1 dominoes. The 3/0 domino goes in the less 4 region, and finally, the 1/5 domino fits in the remaining space.

  • Medium board · 9 dominoes

    Medium board walkthrough

    Begin by placing dominoes that satisfy the sum and equals constraints. The 0/0 domino goes in the empty region. Use the greater 4 and less 2 regions to place the 6/5 and 0/4 dominoes. Continue filling in the regions with the remaining dominoes, ensuring all constraints are met.

  • Hard board · 14 dominoes

    Hard board walkthrough

    Place the 6/6 domino in the sum 12 region. Use the 5/5 and 4/4 dominoes to satisfy the sum 10 and 8 regions. Continue placing dominoes to meet the sum constraints, working from the most restrictive regions first. The 0/0 domino goes in the sum 0 region, and the 0/6 domino fits in the sum 6 region. As the board fills, use the process of elimination to place the remaining dominoes.

Those boards by the numbers

Date
Thursday, July 23, 2026
Boards
3 — easy, medium, hard
Dominoes in play
28 across the three boards
Easy board
5 dominoes · 8 regions
Medium board
9 dominoes · 10 regions
Hard board
14 dominoes · 12 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