TodayHint

Pips September 19, 2026: Hints & Answers

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

Recap

The easy board requires logical placement of 5 dominoes in 7 regions. The medium board involves 8 dominoes and sum constraints. The hard board challenges with 15 dominoes and complex relationships across 14 regions.

The three boards that day

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

Easy board · 5 dominoes · 7 regions

2–11–35–20–13–3

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

Small number of dominoes and simple constraints make this easy.

Medium board · 8 dominoes · 7 regions

3–60–13–14–05–53–32–22–1

  • 2 ×two cells: all matching.
  • 2 ×two cells: exactly 10.
  • three cells: exactly 1.
  • three cells: all matching.
  • two cells: exactly 6.

More dominoes and complex constraints make this medium difficulty.

Hard board · 15 dominoes · 14 regions

6–10–42–23–04–25–36–21–16–51–03–24–10–51–23–4

  • one cell: exactly 6.
  • 2 ×one cell: exactly 0.
  • four cells: all matching.
  • two cells: exactly 9.
  • two cells: under 8.
  • 2 ×two cells: all matching.
  • five cells: all matching.
  • one cell: exactly 3.
  • one cell: exactly 1.
  • two cells: exactly 12.
  • three cells: exactly 14.
  • three cells: exactly 6.

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

    Method only.

    Start by identifying regions with the most constraints and look for dominoes that can only fit in one place.

  3. Easy board: where to start

    One region named by its constraint.

    Begin with the region that must be empty.

  4. Medium board: approach and first region

    The same two steps, one difficulty up.

    Focus on regions with specific sum constraints and try to place dominoes that satisfy multiple constraints at once.

    Start with a region that has a sum constraint over 2 cells.

  5. Hard board: how to approach it

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

    Look for regions with unique constraints and try to place dominoes that satisfy multiple conditions. Use process of elimination to narrow down possible placements.

  6. Hard board: where to start

    The last rung before the full walkthroughs.

    Begin with a region that has a sum constraint over 1 cell.

    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 0/1 domino in the empty region. Then, use the equals over 2 cells constraint to place the 1/3 and 3/3 dominoes. Next, place the 2/1 domino in the greater 4 over 1 cell region. The 5/2 domino fits in the sum 6 over 2 cells region. Finally, adjust the remaining dominoes to satisfy all constraints.

  • Medium board · 8 dominoes

    Medium board walkthrough

    Begin by placing the 3/6 and 2/2 dominoes in the sum 10 over 2 cells and sum 6 over 2 cells regions. Then, place the 0/1 domino in the sum 1 over 3 cells region. Use the equals constraints to place the 3/1 and 3/3 dominoes. The 4/0 and 2/1 dominoes fit in the remaining regions, satisfying the equals and sum constraints.

  • Hard board · 15 dominoes

    Hard board walkthrough

    Start by placing the 6/1 domino in the sum 6 over 1 cell region and the 0/4 domino in the sum 0 over 1 cell region. Then, use the equals over 4 cells constraint to place several dominoes. Continue by satisfying the sum 9 over 2 cells and less 8 over 2 cells constraints. Place the 3/0 and 4/2 dominoes in the equals over 5 cells and sum 3 over 1 cell regions. Adjust the remaining dominoes to satisfy all constraints, including the sum 12 over 2 cells and sum 14 over 3 cells regions.

Those boards by the numbers

Date
Saturday, September 19, 2026
Boards
3 — easy, medium, hard
Dominoes in play
28 across the three boards
Easy board
5 dominoes · 7 regions
Medium board
8 dominoes · 7 regions
Hard board
15 dominoes · 14 regions

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