TodayHint

Pips October 3, 2026: Hints & Answers

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

Recap

The easy board requires careful placement of 5 dominoes in 6 regions. The medium board adds more complexity with 7 dominoes and 9 regions. The hard board is the most challenging with 14 dominoes and 19 regions, requiring a systematic approach to solve.

The three boards that day

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

Easy board · 5 dominoes · 6 regions

2–11–52–06–46–6

  • one cell: more than 4.
  • 2 ×two cells: all matching.
  • two cells: exactly 8.
  • one cell: under 1.
  • two cells: exactly 6.

This board is relatively simple with few dominoes and regions.

Medium board · 7 dominoes · 9 regions

6–31–00–25–40–04–25–6

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

This board has more regions and dominoes than the easy board, requiring more careful planning.

Hard board · 14 dominoes · 19 regions

5–53–55–21–32–04–53–42–42–11–00–54–13–33–6

  • one cell: more than 4.
  • one cell: exactly 1.
  • 2 ×one cell: exactly 0.
  • 4 ×one cell: left uncovered.
  • two cells: exactly 8.
  • one cell: more than 3.
  • two cells: exactly 4.
  • 2 ×three cells: all matching.
  • two cells: exactly 3.
  • one cell: exactly 5.
  • one cell: exactly 3.
  • three cells: exactly 10.
  • 2 ×one cell: exactly 2.

This board has many dominoes and regions, making it challenging to find the correct placements.

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 greater, 1 less)
    Medium board
    7 dominoes, 9 regions (3 sum, 2 less, 1 empty, 1 equals, 1 greater, 1 unequal)
    Hard board
    14 dominoes, 19 regions (11 sum, 4 empty, 2 equals, 2 greater)
    Back to the board inventories
  2. Easy board: how to approach it

    Method only.

    Start by identifying regions with the fewest possible values 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 8 over 2 cell(s)' 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 conditions at once.

    The region with the 'sum 6 over 1 cell(s)' 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 restrictive constraints and try to place dominoes in a way that satisfies multiple conditions.

  6. Hard board: where to start

    The last rung before the full walkthroughs.

    The region with the 'sum 1 over 1 cell(s)' 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 2/0 domino in the 'sum 6 over 2 cell(s)' region. Then, place the 6/6 domino in the 'greater 4 over 1 cell(s)' region. Next, place the 2/1 domino in the 'less 1 over 1 cell(s)' region. After that, place the 1/5 domino in the 'equals over 2 cell(s)' region. Finally, place the 6/4 domino in the remaining region.

  • Medium board · 7 dominoes

    Medium board walkthrough

    Place the 0/0 domino in the 'empty over 1 cell(s)' region. Then, place the 5/6 domino in the 'less 5 over 1 cell(s)' region. Next, place the 4/2 domino in the 'sum 2 over 1 cell(s)' region. After that, place the 1/0 domino in the 'greater 0 over 1 cell(s)' region. Continue with the remaining dominoes and regions.

  • Hard board · 14 dominoes

    Hard board walkthrough

    Place the 5/5 domino in the 'sum 10 over 3 cell(s)' region. Then, place the 3/5 domino in the 'greater 4 over 1 cell(s)' region. Next, place the 5/2 domino in the 'sum 8 over 2 cell(s)' region. After that, place the 1/3 domino in the 'equals over 3 cell(s)' region. Continue with the remaining dominoes and regions, using the process of elimination to find the correct placements. Place the 2/0 domino in the 'empty over 1 cell(s)' region. Then, place the 4/5 domino in the 'greater 3 over 1 cell(s)' region. Next, place the 3/4 domino in the 'sum 4 over 2 cell(s)' region. After that, place the 2/4 domino in the 'sum 3 over 2 cell(s)' region. Continue until all dominoes are placed.

Those boards by the numbers

Date
Saturday, October 3, 2026
Boards
3 — easy, medium, hard
Dominoes in play
26 across the three boards
Easy board
5 dominoes · 6 regions
Medium board
7 dominoes · 9 regions
Hard board
14 dominoes · 19 regions

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