TodayHint

Pips October 29, 2026: Hints & Answers

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

Recap

The three Pips boards for 2026-10-29 offer a range of difficulties, from easy to hard, with increasing numbers of dominoes and complex constraints. Solvers must use strategy and logic to place the dominoes correctly, satisfying the various region constraints.

The three boards that day

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

Easy board · 5 dominoes · 9 regions

0–40–54–53–61–6

  • 2 ×one cell: under 1.
  • 3 ×one cell: left uncovered.
  • one cell: more than 4.
  • one cell: under 3.
  • two cells: exactly 10.
  • one cell: more than 5.

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

Medium board · 7 dominoes · 8 regions

6–35–06–61–62–01–26–4

  • 3 ×one cell: left uncovered.
  • three cells: exactly 3.
  • one cell: more than 3.
  • four cells: all matching.
  • two cells: under 5.
  • one cell: under 1.

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

Hard board · 14 dominoes · 14 regions

0–36–03–24–36–60–10–51–52–63–63–52–41–34–0

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

This board is 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, 9 regions (3 empty, 3 less, 2 greater, 1 sum)
    Medium board
    7 dominoes, 8 regions (3 empty, 2 less, 1 equals, 1 greater, 1 sum)
    Hard board
    14 dominoes, 14 regions (5 sum, 3 greater, 2 empty, 2 equals, 1 less, 1 unequal)
    Back to the board inventories
  2. Easy board: how to approach it

    Method only.

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

  3. Easy board: where to start

    One region named by its constraint.

    Look for the region with a sum constraint of 10 over 2 cells, as it has limited possibilities.

  4. Medium board: approach and first region

    The same two steps, one difficulty up.

    Focus on regions with equals and sum constraints, as they provide the most information for domino placement.

    Start with the region that has an equals constraint over 4 cells, as it will help to narrow down possibilities.

  5. Hard board: how to approach it

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

    Begin by identifying regions with multiple constraints and try to place dominoes that satisfy several conditions simultaneously.

  6. Hard board: where to start

    The last rung before the full walkthroughs.

    Look for the region with a sum constraint of 8 over 4 cells, 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

    Begin by placing the 4/5 domino in the region that requires a sum of 10 over 2 cells. Then, place the 1/6 domino in the region with the less 3 constraint. Continue by placing the 3/6 domino in the region with the greater 4 constraint. The 0/5 and 0/4 dominoes can be placed in the remaining regions with empty cells.

  • Medium board · 7 dominoes

    Medium board walkthrough

    Place the 6/6 domino in the equals region, then the 6/3 domino in the region with the sum 3 constraint. Continue by placing the 1/6 and 2/0 dominoes in regions with less and greater constraints. The remaining dominoes can be placed in the empty regions.

  • Hard board · 14 dominoes

    Hard board walkthrough

    Start by placing the 6/6 domino in the region with the sum 8 constraint. Then, place the 4/3 and 3/2 dominoes in regions with greater and less constraints. Continue by placing the 0/5 and 1/5 dominoes in regions with empty cells. The 0/3 domino can be placed in the region with the sum 6 constraint. Next, place the 2/6 and 3/6 dominoes in regions with greater and equals constraints. Finally, place the remaining dominoes in the regions with less and sum constraints.

Those boards by the numbers

Date
Thursday, October 29, 2026
Boards
3 — easy, medium, hard
Dominoes in play
26 across the three boards
Easy board
5 dominoes · 9 regions
Medium board
7 dominoes · 8 regions
Hard board
14 dominoes · 14 regions

More Pips

See the live Pips hints and answers page for the current boards, or browse every archived Pips date by month.

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