TodayHint

Pips July 25, 2026: Hints & Answers

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

Recap

The easy puzzle is straightforward with few dominoes and regions. The medium puzzle requires more planning with multiple sum constraints. The hard puzzle is complex with many dominoes and regions.

The three boards that day

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

Easy board · 5 dominoes · 6 regions

4–41–23–35–53–6

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

Small number of dominoes and regions makes this a straightforward puzzle.

Medium board · 7 dominoes · 9 regions

1–14–65–14–36–04–23–3

  • two cells: exactly 3.
  • two cells: exactly 5.
  • two cells: exactly 8.
  • one cell: exactly 6.
  • two cells: exactly 2.
  • 2 ×one cell: left uncovered.
  • one cell: under 3.
  • two cells: all matching.

More regions and dominoes than easy puzzle, requiring more careful planning.

Hard board · 16 dominoes · 13 regions

0–10–41–11–41–62–42–63–33–43–53–64–44–65–55–66–6

  • 3 ×three cells: all matching.
  • five cells: all matching.
  • 2 ×two cells: exactly 7.
  • 2 ×one cell: exactly 0.
  • two cells: all matching.
  • one cell: exactly 6.
  • one cell: exactly 2.
  • 2 ×four cells: all matching.

Large number of dominoes and complex constraints make this puzzle 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, 6 regions (2 empty, 1 equals, 1 greater, 1 less, 1 sum)
    Medium board
    7 dominoes, 9 regions (5 sum, 2 empty, 1 equals, 1 less)
    Hard board
    16 dominoes, 13 regions (7 equals, 6 sum)
    Back to the board inventories
  2. Easy board: how to approach it

    Method only.

    Start by identifying regions with the most constraints, focusing on those that limit domino placement significantly.

  3. Easy board: where to start

    One region named by its constraint.

    Begin with the region that requires a sum of 8 over 2 cells, as it has a specific target value.

  4. Medium board: approach and first region

    The same two steps, one difficulty up.

    Look for regions with the most restrictive constraints first, such as the sum 2 over 2 cells region.

    Focus on the region with a sum of 2 over 2 cells, as it has limited options for domino placement.

  5. Hard board: how to approach it

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

    Begin by identifying and satisfying the regions with the fewest possible domino combinations, such as those with equals constraints.

  6. Hard board: where to start

    The last rung before the full walkthroughs.

    Start with a region that has an equals constraint over a small number of cells, limiting the possible domino placements.

    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, then use the sum 8 region to guide placement of the 3/6 domino, followed by the 5/5, 1/2, and 3/3 dominoes.

  • Medium board · 7 dominoes

    Medium board walkthrough

    Start with the sum 2 region, then place dominoes to satisfy the sum 3, sum 5, and sum 8 regions, using the process of elimination.

  • Hard board · 16 dominoes

    Hard board walkthrough

    Begin with the equals over 3 cells region, then satisfy the sum 7 over 2 cells regions, using dominoes like 0/1, 1/1, and 6/6 to block off areas. Continue with equals and sum constraints, working to fill in the board systematically.

Those boards by the numbers

Date
Saturday, July 25, 2026
Boards
3 — easy, medium, hard
Dominoes in play
28 across the three boards
Easy board
5 dominoes · 6 regions
Medium board
7 dominoes · 9 regions
Hard board
16 dominoes · 13 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