Pips November 1, 2026: Hints & Answers
Recap
The easy board requires strategic sum placement. The medium board needs careful comparison. The hard board demands systematic approach to many small sums and comparisons.
The three boards that day
The tray and each region's rule — board data, no solutions.
Easy board · 5 dominoes · 6 regions
Dominoes: 4–36–55–41–55–5
- 2 ×two cells: exactly 10.
- three cells: exactly 10.
- 2 ×one cell: exactly 4.
- one cell: more than 4.
Small number of dominoes and regions makes it manageable.
Medium board · 7 dominoes · 8 regions
Dominoes: 1–34–56–60–33–34–62–6
- 3 ×one cell: left uncovered.
- two cells: under 6.
- one cell: more than 2.
- four cells: all matching.
- one cell: exactly 0.
- three cells: all different.
Variety of constraints requires careful planning.
Hard board · 16 dominoes · 31 regions
Dominoes: 0–10–20–30–40–51–21–31–41–52–32–42–53–43–54–53–6
- 5 ×one cell: left uncovered.
- 5 ×one cell: exactly 2.
- 6 ×one cell: exactly 3.
- 3 ×one cell: exactly 4.
- 5 ×one cell: exactly 0.
- two cells: exactly 8.
- 5 ×one cell: exactly 5.
- one cell: exactly 1.
Large number of dominoes and regions with varied 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.
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Hint 1: How the three boards compared
Sizes and constraint mixes, counted off the boards.
- Easy board
- 5 dominoes, 6 regions (5 sum, 1 greater)
- Medium board
- 7 dominoes, 8 regions (3 empty, 1 equals, 1 greater, 1 less, 1 sum, 1 unequal)
- Hard board
- 16 dominoes, 31 regions (26 sum, 5 empty)
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Hint 2: Easy board: how to approach it
Method only.
Start by identifying regions with unique constraints, focusing on sums.
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Hint 3: Easy board: where to start
One region named by its constraint.
Region with sum 10 over 2 cells, look for domino pairs that fit.
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Hint 4: Medium board: approach and first region
The same two steps, one difficulty up.
Look for regions with fixed values or easy comparisons first.
Empty cell region, try to place a domino that doesn't limit options.
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Hint 5: Hard board: how to approach it
Where the hard board differed in kind, not just size.
Begin with regions having specific small sums or comparisons.
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Hint 6: Hard board: where to start
The last rung before the full walkthroughs.
Region with sum 0 over 1 cell, easy placement.
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 5/5 in sum 10 over 2 cells region. Then, fit 4/3 and 6/5 in sum 10 over 2 cells and 5/4 in sum 10 over 3 cells. Place 1/5 in sum 4 over 1 cell region. Last, adjust to meet greater 4 over 1 cell.
Medium board · 7 dominoes
Medium board walkthrough
Start with empty cell regions. Place 0/3, then 3/3. Use equals over 4 cells to place 4/6 and 2/6. Adjust with less 6 over 2 cells and greater 2 over 1 cell.
Hard board · 16 dominoes
Hard board walkthrough
Start with sum 0 over 1 cell regions, placing 0/0, 0/1, 0/2, 0/3, 0/4, 0/5. Then, use sum 1 over 1 cell for 1/0. Continue with small sums: sum 2 over 1 cell for 1/1, 2/0; sum 3 over 1 cell for 1/2, 2/1, 3/0. Progress with sum 4 over 1 cell and sum 5 over 1 cell regions, placing 2/2, 3/1, 4/0 and 2/3, 3/2, 4/1, 5/0 respectively. Adjust with comparison constraints.
Those boards by the numbers
- Date
- Sunday, November 1, 2026
- Boards
- 3 — easy, medium, hard
- Dominoes in play
- 28 across the three boards
- Easy board
- 5 dominoes · 6 regions
- Medium board
- 7 dominoes · 8 regions
- Hard board
- 16 dominoes · 31 regions
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