TodayHint

Pips November 4, 2026: Hints & Answers

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

Recap

The easy board requires strategic placement based on equals and sum constraints. The medium board demands careful consideration of multiple sum and comparison conditions. The hard board is complex, with many regions and dominoes to place, requiring a systematic approach to satisfy all constraints.

The three boards that day

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

Easy board · 5 dominoes · 6 regions

4–45–60–02–24–0

  • three cells: all matching.
  • two cells: all matching.
  • two cells: exactly 6.
  • one cell: exactly 6.
  • one cell: more than 2.
  • one cell: left uncovered.

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

Medium board · 7 dominoes · 7 regions

4–34–16–25–34–03–35–4

  • two cells: all different.
  • one cell: exactly 6.
  • one cell: exactly 1.
  • one cell: more than 4.
  • two cells: under 9.
  • four cells: more than 10.
  • three cells: more than 12.

This board requires more careful planning due to the mix of sum and comparison constraints.

Hard board · 16 dominoes · 28 regions

0–10–20–30–40–51–21–31–41–52–32–42–53–43–54–53–6

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

This board is challenging due to the large number of dominoes and complex interplay of 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, 6 regions (2 equals, 2 sum, 1 empty, 1 greater)
    Medium board
    7 dominoes, 7 regions (3 greater, 2 sum, 1 less, 1 unequal)
    Hard board
    16 dominoes, 28 regions (24 sum, 3 equals, 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.

    Begin with the region that must have equal values over 3 cells, as it has the most limited options.

  4. Medium board: approach and first region

    The same two steps, one difficulty up.

    Focus on regions with sum constraints and try to place dominoes that satisfy multiple conditions at once.

    Start with the region that requires a sum of 1 over 1 cell, as it has limited possibilities.

  5. Hard board: how to approach it

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

    Begin by identifying and filling regions with the most restrictive or unique constraints, such as sums of specific small numbers.

  6. Hard board: where to start

    The last rung before the full walkthroughs.

    Start with a region that has a sum constraint of 0 over 1 cell, as it has a unique solution.

    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 0/0 domino in the empty region. The 4/4 domino goes in the equals over 3 cells region. Then, place the 4/0 domino. The 2/2 domino fits in the greater 2 over 1 cell region. Finally, place the 5/6 domino.

  • Medium board · 7 dominoes

    Medium board walkthrough

    Begin by placing the 0/1 domino. Then, place the 4/3 and 4/1 dominoes. The 5/3 domino fits in one of the sum 6 regions. Place the 6/2 domino. The 3/3 domino goes in the greater 4 region. Finally, place the 5/4 domino.

  • Hard board · 16 dominoes

    Hard board walkthrough

    Begin with the sum 0 over 1 cell region, placing the 0/0 domino. Fill in the sum 1 and sum 2 regions. Place dominoes in the sum 3 regions, ensuring the values are correct. Continue with the sum 4 and sum 5 regions, carefully fitting dominoes to meet all constraints. The equals over 2 cells and equals over 3 cells regions will have limited options once previous regions are filled. Ensure that all comparison constraints are satisfied, particularly the greater and less conditions. The empty region will be filled last, based on the remaining dominoes.

Those boards by the numbers

Date
Wednesday, November 4, 2026
Boards
3 — easy, medium, hard
Dominoes in play
28 across the three boards
Easy board
5 dominoes · 6 regions
Medium board
7 dominoes · 7 regions
Hard board
16 dominoes · 28 regions

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