TodayHint

Pips September 16, 2026: Hints & Answers

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

Recap

The three Pips boards for 2026-09-16 offer increasing difficulty with more dominoes and complex constraints. The easy board is straightforward, the medium board requires planning, and the hard board demands careful distribution of dominoes to satisfy multiple constraints.

The three boards that day

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

Easy board · 5 dominoes · 8 regions

0–14–45–33–06–1

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

This board is relatively straightforward with simple constraints.

Medium board · 7 dominoes · 7 regions

4–13–15–56–15–14–41–0

  • one cell: more than 3.
  • 3 ×three cells: all matching.
  • one cell: exactly 3.
  • one cell: under 3.
  • two cells: all matching.

This board requires some planning to satisfy the sum constraints.

Hard board · 13 dominoes · 11 regions

2–45–62–25–43–25–54–15–24–41–65–30–05–1

  • four cells: all different.
  • three cells: exactly 7.
  • 2 ×one cell: exactly 4.
  • two cells: exactly 10.
  • two cells: exactly 11.
  • three cells: exactly 15.
  • one cell: under 5.
  • four cells: exactly 2.
  • three cells: exactly 14.
  • two cells: exactly 4.

This board is the most challenging due to its many complex constraints and large number of dominoes.

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, 8 regions (3 less, 2 empty, 2 equals, 1 greater)
    Medium board
    7 dominoes, 7 regions (4 equals, 1 greater, 1 less, 1 sum)
    Hard board
    13 dominoes, 11 regions (9 sum, 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 restrictive constraints and try to place dominoes that satisfy those conditions.

  3. Easy board: where to start

    One region named by its constraint.

    The region with the equals constraint over 2 cells is a good starting point.

  4. Medium board: approach and first region

    The same two steps, one difficulty up.

    Look for regions with sum constraints and try to combine dominoes to satisfy those conditions.

    The region with the sum 3 over 1 cell is a good starting point.

  5. Hard board: how to approach it

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

    Focus on the sum constraints and try to distribute dominoes to satisfy those conditions, then adjust for the other constraints.

  6. Hard board: where to start

    The last rung before the full walkthroughs.

    The region with the sum 7 over 3 cells is a challenging but key 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 4/4 domino in the equals over 2 cells region. Then, place the 0/1 domino in the empty over 1 cell region. Next, place the 6/1 domino in the less 6 over 1 cell region. The 5/3 domino can go in the greater 4 over 1 cell region. Finally, place the 3/0 domino in the less 1 over 1 cell region.

  • Medium board · 7 dominoes

    Medium board walkthrough

    Place the 1/0 and 4/1 dominoes in the sum 3 over 1 cell region and equals over 3 cells region. Then, place the 5/1 domino in the less 3 over 1 cell region. The 3/1 domino can go in the greater 3 over 1 cell region. Next, place the 4/4 domino in the equals over 2 cells region. The 5/5 domino can go in one of the remaining equals regions. Finally, place the 6/1 domino in the last region.

  • Hard board · 13 dominoes

    Hard board walkthrough

    Begin by placing dominoes in the sum 7 over 3 cells region, such as 5/1, 5/2, and 2/4. Then, satisfy the sum 10 over 2 cells and sum 11 over 2 cells regions. Continue with the sum 15 over 3 cells region, using dominoes like 5/5, 5/4, and 5/3. Place the 4/1 domino in the less 5 over 1 cell region. The unequal over 4 cells region can be filled with the remaining dominoes, ensuring that no two cells have the same value.

Those boards by the numbers

Date
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
Boards
3 — easy, medium, hard
Dominoes in play
25 across the three boards
Easy board
5 dominoes · 8 regions
Medium board
7 dominoes · 7 regions
Hard board
13 dominoes · 11 regions

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