TodayHint

Pips September 14, 2026: Hints & Answers

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

Recap

The easy board requires strategic placement of 5 dominoes across 5 regions. The medium board involves 7 dominoes and 8 regions with sum constraints. The hard board features 15 dominoes and 16 regions with complex sum and equals constraints.

The three boards that day

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

Easy board · 5 dominoes · 5 regions

6–44–56–66–16–2

  • two cells: all matching.
  • five cells: all matching.
  • one cell: more than 1.
  • 2 ×one cell: left uncovered.

Small number of dominoes and simple constraints make this easy.

Medium board · 7 dominoes · 8 regions

4–20–04–13–60–42–14–4

  • three cells: exactly 6.
  • two cells: exactly 5.
  • three cells: exactly 7.
  • one cell: under 2.
  • 2 ×one cell: exactly 2.
  • two cells: exactly 8.
  • one cell: left uncovered.

More dominoes and varied constraints increase the challenge.

Hard board · 15 dominoes · 16 regions

5–30–03–12–40–53–24–15–24–06–13–42–16–43–04–5

  • 2 ×one cell: exactly 3.
  • 3 ×three cells: all matching.
  • two cells: exactly 3.
  • three cells: exactly 15.
  • one cell: exactly 1.
  • 2 ×two cells: all matching.
  • one cell: exactly 5.
  • two cells: exactly 10.
  • three cells: exactly 5.
  • 2 ×one cell: exactly 4.
  • one cell: more than 4.

Large number of dominoes and complex constraints make this challenging.

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, 5 regions (2 empty, 2 equals, 1 greater)
    Medium board
    7 dominoes, 8 regions (6 sum, 1 empty, 1 less)
    Hard board
    15 dominoes, 16 regions (10 sum, 5 equals, 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 placements, focusing on the greater and equals constraints.

  3. Easy board: where to start

    One region named by its constraint.

    Begin with the region that must be greater than 1 over a single cell.

  4. Medium board: approach and first region

    The same two steps, one difficulty up.

    Look for regions with fixed sums and try to place dominoes that satisfy multiple constraints at once.

    Start with the region that requires a sum of 2 over 1 cell.

  5. Hard board: how to approach it

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

    Focus on regions with strict sum constraints and try to place dominoes that satisfy multiple constraints.

  6. Hard board: where to start

    The last rung before the full walkthroughs.

    Begin with the region that requires a sum of 15 over 3 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 6/6 domino first, as it can only fit in one equals over 5 cells region. Then, use the 6/4 and 6/2 dominoes to satisfy the greater 1 over 1 cell and equals over 2 cells constraints. The 6/1 domino will fit in the remaining equals over 2 cells region. Finally, place the 4/5 domino in the last empty over 1 cell region.

  • Medium board · 7 dominoes

    Medium board walkthrough

    Begin by placing the 0/0 domino, which can only go in the empty over 1 cell region. Then, use the 4/1 and 2/1 dominoes to satisfy the sum 5 over 2 cells and sum 3 over 1 cell constraints. Next, place the 4/2 domino in the sum 6 over 3 cells region. The 3/6 domino will fit in the sum 9 over 2 cells region, but be careful with the remaining dominoes. Place the 4/4 domino last, as it has limited options.

  • Hard board · 15 dominoes

    Hard board walkthrough

    Start by placing the 5/3 domino in the sum 8 over 2 cells region, but note it doesn't fit. Instead, place the 6/4 domino in the equals over 3 cells region. Use the 5/2 and 4/1 dominoes to satisfy the sum 7 over 2 cells and sum 5 over 1 cell constraints. The 3/0 domino will fit in the sum 3 over 1 cell region. Continue by placing the 4/0 domino in the sum 4 over 1 cell region. Next, use the 3/1 and 2/4 dominoes to satisfy the sum 4 over 2 cells and sum 5 over 2 cells constraints. Then, place the 6/1 domino in the equals over 2 cells region. The 3/4 domino will fit in the sum 7 over 2 cells region. Place the 2/1 domino in the sum 3 over 1 cell region. Finally, use the remaining dominoes to satisfy the remaining constraints, being mindful of the equals and sum constraints.

Those boards by the numbers

Date
Monday, September 14, 2026
Boards
3 — easy, medium, hard
Dominoes in play
27 across the three boards
Easy board
5 dominoes · 5 regions
Medium board
7 dominoes · 8 regions
Hard board
15 dominoes · 16 regions

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