TodayHint

Pips November 12, 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 5 regions. The medium board involves 7 dominoes and 6 regions with a mix of constraints. The hard board is the most complex with 16 dominoes and 20 regions.

The three boards that day

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

Easy board · 5 dominoes · 5 regions

0–62–21–12–13–6

  • two cells: exactly 9.
  • four cells: exactly 9.
  • two cells: exactly 4.
  • one cell: under 3.
  • one cell: left uncovered.

This board is relatively simple with only 5 dominoes and straightforward constraints.

Medium board · 7 dominoes · 6 regions

1–65–60–30–04–46–65–4

  • three cells: under 3.
  • three cells: all matching.
  • two cells: all matching.
  • two cells: exactly 9.
  • three cells: exactly 9.
  • one cell: more than 5.

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

Hard board · 16 dominoes · 20 regions

0–31–14–12–23–45–63–52–31–51–24–03–10–51–62–45–5

  • two cells: more than 6.
  • two cells: more than 8.
  • one cell: under 4.
  • 3 ×one cell: exactly 0.
  • two cells: under 4.
  • three cells: exactly 3.
  • 2 ×two cells: more than 7.
  • one cell: under 5.
  • three cells: all matching.
  • two cells: exactly 6.
  • two cells: all matching.
  • two cells: under 5.
  • 3 ×one cell: left uncovered.
  • one cell: exactly 6.
  • one cell: more than 1.

This board is the most challenging due to the large number of dominoes and complex 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, 5 regions (3 sum, 1 empty, 1 less)
    Medium board
    7 dominoes, 6 regions (2 equals, 2 sum, 1 greater, 1 less)
    Hard board
    16 dominoes, 20 regions (6 sum, 5 greater, 4 less, 3 empty, 2 equals)
    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 sum 4 over 2 cells constraint is a good starting point.

  4. Medium board: approach and first region

    The same two steps, one difficulty up.

    Look for regions with multiple constraints and try to find dominoes that satisfy multiple conditions at once.

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

  5. Hard board: how to approach it

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

    Focus on regions with the most restrictive constraints and use a process of elimination to narrow down possible placements.

  6. Hard board: where to start

    The last rung before the full walkthroughs.

    The region with the sum 0 over 1 cell constraint 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 2/1 domino in the sum 4 over 2 cells region. Then, place the 3/6 domino in the sum 9 over 4 cells region. Next, place the 0/6 domino in the sum 9 over 2 cells region. After that, place the 1/1 domino in the less 3 over 1 cell region. Finally, place the 2/2 domino in the empty over 1 cell region.

  • Medium board · 7 dominoes

    Medium board walkthrough

    Place the 0/0 domino in the equals over 3 cells region. Then, place the 4/4 domino in the equals over 2 cells region. Next, place the 5/6 domino in the greater 5 over 1 cell region. After that, place the 1/6 domino in the sum 9 over 3 cells region. Then, place the 5/4 domino in the sum 9 over 2 cells region. Place the 0/3 domino in the less 3 over 3 cells region. Finally, place the 6/6 domino in the remaining region.

  • Hard board · 16 dominoes

    Hard board walkthrough

    Begin by placing the 0/3 domino in the sum 0 over 1 cell region. Then, place the 0/5 domino in another sum 0 over 1 cell region. Next, place the 1/1 domino in the equals over 2 cells region. After that, place the 2/2 domino in the less 5 over 2 cells region. Continue by placing the 3/4 domino in the greater 7 over 2 cells region. Then, place the 4/0 domino in the greater 6 over 2 cells region. Place the 4/1 domino in the greater 8 over 2 cells region. Next, place the 5/5 domino in the equals over 3 cells region. After that, place the 5/6 domino in the greater 7 over 2 cells region. Continue with the 3/5 domino in the less 4 over 2 cells region. Then, place the 2/3 domino in the less 4 over 1 cell region. Place the 1/5 domino in the empty over 1 cell region. Next, place the 1/6 domino in the greater 1 over 1 cell region. After that, place the 2/4 domino in the sum 6 over 2 cells region. Finally, place the 3/1 domino in the sum 3 over 3 cells region and the remaining dominoes in their respective regions.

Those boards by the numbers

Date
Thursday, November 12, 2026
Boards
3 — easy, medium, hard
Dominoes in play
28 across the three boards
Easy board
5 dominoes · 5 regions
Medium board
7 dominoes · 6 regions
Hard board
16 dominoes · 20 regions

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