TodayHint

Pips October 22, 2026: Hints & Answers

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

Recap

The easy board requires strategic placement of 5 dominoes in 6 regions. The medium board involves 7 dominoes in 8 regions with varied constraints. The hard board challenges solvers with 11 dominoes in 14 regions.

The three boards that day

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

Easy board · 5 dominoes · 6 regions

0–56–63–34–00–0

  • 3 ×two cells: exactly 6.
  • one cell: more than 4.
  • two cells: all matching.
  • one cell: left uncovered.

This board is relatively easy due to the small number of dominoes and regions.

Medium board · 7 dominoes · 8 regions

4–34–16–60–22–45–35–1

  • two cells: exactly 6.
  • two cells: under 6.
  • two cells: all matching.
  • two cells: exactly 7.
  • three cells: all different.
  • one cell: exactly 0.
  • one cell: exactly 1.
  • one cell: left uncovered.

This board has a moderate level of difficulty due to the variety of constraints and dominoes.

Hard board · 11 dominoes · 14 regions

4–64–20–21–16–24–01–31–04–52–20–6

  • 2 ×three cells: all different.
  • 5 ×one cell: exactly 2.
  • two cells: exactly 6.
  • two cells: under 2.
  • two cells: exactly 9.
  • one cell: exactly 0.
  • one cell: left uncovered.
  • one cell: exactly 6.
  • two cells: all matching.

This board is challenging due to the large number of dominoes and regions, as well as the complexity of the 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 (3 sum, 1 empty, 1 equals, 1 greater)
    Medium board
    7 dominoes, 8 regions (4 sum, 1 empty, 1 equals, 1 less, 1 unequal)
    Hard board
    11 dominoes, 14 regions (9 sum, 2 unequal, 1 empty, 1 equals, 1 less)
    Back to the board inventories
  2. Easy board: how to approach it

    Method only.

    Start by identifying regions with the most 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 6 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 unique constraints and try to place dominoes that satisfy multiple constraints at once.

    The region with the sum 0 over 1 cell 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 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 2 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 0/0 domino in the empty region. Then, place the 6/6 domino in the greater 4 over 1 cell region. Next, place the 3/3 domino in one of the sum 6 over 2 cells regions. After that, place the 4/0 domino in the remaining sum 6 over 2 cells region. Finally, place the 0/6 domino is not available, so the 0/0 was correctly placed, use 4/0 and 3/3 to satisfy sum 6 over 2 cell regions.

  • Medium board · 7 dominoes

    Medium board walkthrough

    Place the 0/2 domino in the sum 0 over 1 cell region. Then, place the 6/6 domino in one of the sum 6 over 2 cells regions. Next, use the 4/3 and 4/1 dominoes to satisfy the less 6 over 2 cells and sum 7 over 2 cells regions. Continue with the 5/3 and 5/1 dominoes in the remaining regions, making sure to satisfy the unequal over 3 cells constraint.

  • Hard board · 11 dominoes

    Hard board walkthrough

    Begin by placing the 0/6 domino in the empty region. Then, place the 4/6 and 4/2 dominoes in regions that satisfy the sum 6 over 2 cells and less 2 over 2 cells constraints. Next, use the 1/1 and 0/2 dominoes to satisfy the sum 2 over 1 cell and unequal over 3 cells constraints. Continue with the remaining dominoes, making sure to satisfy the sum 9 over 2 cells, sum 2 over 1 cell, and equals over 2 cells constraints. The 4/5 domino goes in one of the remaining regions, and the 1/3 domino in another. The 1/0 and 2/2 dominoes can be placed in the remaining regions, satisfying all constraints.

Those boards by the numbers

Date
Thursday, October 22, 2026
Boards
3 — easy, medium, hard
Dominoes in play
23 across the three boards
Easy board
5 dominoes · 6 regions
Medium board
7 dominoes · 8 regions
Hard board
11 dominoes · 14 regions

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