TodayHint

Pips October 10, 2026: Hints & Answers

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

Recap

The easy board requires strategic placement to satisfy simple constraints. The medium board adds complexity with more dominoes and constraints. The hard board demands careful attention to multiple sum constraints and domino placements.

The three boards that day

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

Easy board · 5 dominoes · 7 regions

4–46–10–20–56–5

  • one cell: exactly 1.
  • one cell: left uncovered.
  • 2 ×two cells: exactly 10.
  • two cells: all matching.
  • one cell: more than 2.
  • one cell: more than 1.

Small number of dominoes and simple constraints make this easy.

Medium board · 7 dominoes · 8 regions

3–31–44–46–41–25–26–5

  • one cell: left uncovered.
  • 2 ×two cells: more than 9.
  • 2 ×two cells: all matching.
  • one cell: under 3.
  • two cells: exactly 9.
  • two cells: exactly 6.

More dominoes and complex constraints increase the challenge.

Hard board · 16 dominoes · 32 regions

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

  • 6 ×one cell: exactly 3.
  • 5 ×one cell: exactly 0.
  • 5 ×one cell: exactly 4.
  • 5 ×one cell: exactly 2.
  • 5 ×one cell: exactly 1.
  • 5 ×one cell: exactly 5.
  • one cell: exactly 6.

Large number of dominoes and complex sum constraints make this 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, 7 regions (3 sum, 2 greater, 1 empty, 1 equals)
    Medium board
    7 dominoes, 8 regions (2 equals, 2 greater, 2 sum, 1 empty, 1 less)
    Hard board
    16 dominoes, 32 regions (32 sum)
    Back to the board inventories
  2. Easy board: how to approach it

    Method only.

    Start by identifying regions with the fewest possible placements, focusing on those with specific sum or equality constraints.

  3. Easy board: where to start

    One region named by its constraint.

    Begin with the region that must be empty, 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 be satisfied simultaneously, and prioritize placements that limit future options.

    Start with the region that is empty, as it has a fixed position.

  5. Hard board: how to approach it

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

    Focus on regions with the smallest sum constraints, as they have the fewest possible placements. Use the process of elimination to narrow down options.

  6. Hard board: where to start

    The last rung before the full walkthroughs.

    Begin with a region that has a sum constraint of 0, as it has limited possibilities.

    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 1 over 1 cell to place the 0/2 domino. Next, place the 6/1 domino to satisfy the sum 10 over 2 cells. The 0/5 domino goes in the empty region. Finally, place the 6/5 domino to satisfy the greater 1 over 1 cell and sum 10 over 2 cells.

  • Medium board · 7 dominoes

    Medium board walkthrough

    Begin by placing the 3/3 domino. Use the equals constraints to place the 4/4 and 1/4 dominoes. The 6/4 domino satisfies the greater 9 over 2 cells. Place the 1/2 domino to satisfy the sum 6 over 2 cells. The 5/2 domino goes in a region with a sum 9 over 2 cells. Finally, place the 6/5 domino to satisfy the greater 9 over 2 cells.

  • Hard board · 16 dominoes

    Hard board walkthrough

    Start by placing the 0/1 domino in a sum 0 region. Place the 0/2 domino in another sum 0 region. Use the sum 1 and sum 2 constraints to place the 0/3 and 1/2 dominoes. Continue this process, satisfying the sum 3 constraint with the 0/4 and 1/3 dominoes. The 2/3 domino goes in a sum 3 region. Place the 0/5, 1/4, and 1/5 dominoes to satisfy the sum 4 and sum 5 constraints. The 2/4 domino satisfies a sum 4 constraint. Continue placing dominoes, using the sum constraints to guide the placements. For example, place the 2/5 domino in a sum 5 region, and the 3/4 domino in a sum 6 region. Finally, place the 3/5 and 3/6 dominoes to satisfy the remaining sum constraints.

Those boards by the numbers

Date
Saturday, October 10, 2026
Boards
3 — easy, medium, hard
Dominoes in play
28 across the three boards
Easy board
5 dominoes · 7 regions
Medium board
7 dominoes · 8 regions
Hard board
16 dominoes · 32 regions

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