TodayHint

Pips October 24, 2026: Hints & Answers

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

Recap

The easy board requires logical placement of 5 dominoes. The medium board adds complexity with 7 dominoes and varied constraints. The hard board challenges with 16 dominoes and 32 regions.

The three boards that day

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

Easy board · 5 dominoes · 6 regions

6–32–23–20–65–4

  • 2 ×one cell: left uncovered.
  • two cells: exactly 7.
  • two cells: all matching.
  • two cells: exactly 4.
  • two cells: exactly 2.

Small number of dominoes and simple constraints make this easy.

Medium board · 7 dominoes · 7 regions

5–33–05–50–02–24–13–6

  • 2 ×two cells: exactly 6.
  • three cells: all different.
  • two cells: more than 9.
  • one cell: more than 4.
  • two cells: exactly 0.
  • two cells: all matching.

More dominoes and varied 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

  • 5 ×one cell: exactly 4.
  • 4 ×one cell: exactly 0.
  • 4 ×one cell: exactly 1.
  • 6 ×one cell: exactly 3.
  • 5 ×one cell: exactly 2.
  • 2 ×one cell: left uncovered.
  • 5 ×one cell: exactly 5.
  • one cell: more than 0.

Large number of dominoes and regions with diverse constraints make this hard.

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, 2 empty, 1 equals)
    Medium board
    7 dominoes, 7 regions (3 sum, 2 greater, 1 equals, 1 unequal)
    Hard board
    16 dominoes, 32 regions (29 sum, 2 empty, 1 greater)
    Back to the board inventories
  2. Easy board: how to approach it

    Method only.

    Start by identifying regions with the fewest possible domino combinations.

  3. Easy board: where to start

    One region named by its constraint.

    The region with a sum of 7 over 2 cells.

  4. Medium board: approach and first region

    The same two steps, one difficulty up.

    Focus on regions with strict constraints like 'unequal' and 'equals'.

    The region with a sum of 6 over 2 cells and an equals constraint.

  5. Hard board: how to approach it

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

    Begin with regions having fixed sums or comparisons, like sum 0 or greater 0.

  6. Hard board: where to start

    The last rung before the full walkthroughs.

    A region with a sum constraint over 1 cell.

    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 6/3 domino to satisfy the sum 7 constraint. Then, use the 2/2 domino in the equals region. Next, place the 3/2 domino. The 0/6 domino goes in the empty region over 1 cell. Finally, place the 5/4 domino.

  • Medium board · 7 dominoes

    Medium board walkthrough

    Start with the sum 6 region, using the 3/3 or 2/4 domino if available. Place the 5/3 and 5/5 dominoes. Use the 0/0 domino in the sum 0 region. Then, place the 2/2 domino. The 4/1 domino goes in the greater 4 region. Next, place the 3/6 domino. Finally, place the remaining dominoes.

  • Hard board · 16 dominoes

    Hard board walkthrough

    Start by placing dominoes in regions with the most restrictive constraints, such as sum 0, sum 1, and greater 0. Use the 0/x dominoes to satisfy the sum 0 and 1 constraints. Place the 1/x dominoes next, focusing on sum and comparison constraints. Continue with the 2/x, 3/x, 4/x, and 5/x dominoes, ensuring all regions meet their constraints. For example, place the 0/1 domino in the sum 1 region, and the 0/5 domino in the sum 5 region. The 1/2 domino can go in the sum 3 region, and the 4/5 domino in the sum 9 region if available. Methodically work through the remaining dominoes and regions.

Those boards by the numbers

Date
Saturday, October 24, 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 · 32 regions

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