TodayHint

Pips September 13, 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 more complexity with 7 dominoes and varied constraints. The hard board challenges with 16 dominoes and multiple constraints per region.

The three boards that day

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

Easy board · 5 dominoes · 6 regions

1–33–30–54–14–2

  • 2 ×two cells: exactly 8.
  • 2 ×one cell: exactly 3.
  • two cells: exactly 2.
  • two cells: all matching.

Small number of dominoes and simple constraints make this easy.

Medium board · 7 dominoes · 9 regions

2–32–63–44–65–55–66–6

  • one cell: more than 2.
  • 2 ×one cell: under 4.
  • three cells: all matching.
  • 2 ×one cell: left uncovered.
  • two cells: more than 10.
  • 2 ×two cells: exactly 10.

More dominoes and varied constraints increase the challenge.

Hard board · 16 dominoes · 13 regions

3–50–46–65–51–36–05–46–12–54–46–51–14–65–06–30–0

  • four cells: exactly 3.
  • one cell: left uncovered.
  • three cells: all matching.
  • 2 ×four cells: all matching.
  • six cells: all matching.
  • one cell: exactly 5.
  • one cell: exactly 1.
  • 3 ×two cells: all matching.
  • one cell: exactly 3.
  • one cell: exactly 2.

Large number of dominoes and complex 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 (5 sum, 1 equals)
    Medium board
    7 dominoes, 9 regions (2 empty, 2 greater, 2 less, 2 sum, 1 equals)
    Hard board
    16 dominoes, 13 regions (7 equals, 5 sum, 1 empty)
    Back to the board inventories
  2. Easy board: how to approach it

    Method only.

    Focus on regions with limited possibilities, like those with unique sums or equals constraints.

  3. Easy board: where to start

    One region named by its constraint.

    Start with a region that has a sum of 8 over 2 cells.

  4. Medium board: approach and first region

    The same two steps, one difficulty up.

    Look for regions with strict constraints like greater or less than a certain value.

    Begin with a region that must be empty or has a strict inequality.

  5. Hard board: how to approach it

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

    Identify regions with the most restrictions and start there.

  6. Hard board: where to start

    The last rung before the full walkthroughs.

    Begin with a region that has a sum of 3 over 4 cells.

    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 4/2 domino to satisfy the sum 8 constraint. Then, place the 4/1 domino. The 0/5 domino goes in the sum 3 region. The 1/3 domino fits in the remaining sum 3 spot. Finally, place the 3/3 domino.

  • Medium board · 7 dominoes

    Medium board walkthrough

    Place the 6/6 domino in the equals region. The 5/5 and 5/6 dominoes go in the greater 10 region. Then, place the 2/3 domino. The 2/6 domino fits in the less 4 region. Continue with the 3/4 domino in the equals region, and finally, place the 4/6 domino.

  • Hard board · 16 dominoes

    Hard board walkthrough

    Start by placing dominoes in the sum 3 over 4 cells region, using the 0/0, 1/1, and 1/2 dominoes but 1/2 is not available, so use 1/3 and 0/4 dominoes. Then, focus on the equals over 6 cells region with the 6/6 domino. Continue with the equals over 3 cells and 4 cells regions. Place the 5/5 domino in the sum 5 region. The 6/0 domino goes in the empty region. Use the remaining dominoes to satisfy the other constraints, like the sum 2 and sum 3 regions. Ensure all regions meet their constraints.

Those boards by the numbers

Date
Sunday, September 13, 2026
Boards
3 — easy, medium, hard
Dominoes in play
28 across the three boards
Easy board
5 dominoes · 6 regions
Medium board
7 dominoes · 9 regions
Hard board
16 dominoes · 13 regions

More Pips

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

Try another puzzle