TodayHint

Pips September 22, 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 6 regions with basic constraints. The medium board involves 7 dominoes and 8 regions with sum and equals constraints. The hard board challenges solvers with 15 dominoes and 17 regions, including complex sum, equals, and comparison constraints.

The three boards that day

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

Easy board · 5 dominoes · 6 regions

5–35–65–52–10–0

  • three cells: exactly 1.
  • one cell: left uncovered.
  • one cell: under 3.
  • three cells: all matching.
  • one cell: more than 5.
  • one cell: more than 4.

Easy due to few dominoes and simple constraints.

Medium board · 7 dominoes · 8 regions

1–66–61–20–54–53–51–0

  • one cell: more than 3.
  • two cells: exactly 6.
  • two cells: exactly 11.
  • two cells: exactly 7.
  • 2 ×two cells: all matching.
  • two cells: exactly 2.
  • one cell: left uncovered.

Medium difficulty due to more dominoes and complex constraints.

Hard board · 15 dominoes · 17 regions

1–34–53–26–51–23–43–31–40–61–13–61–56–43–54–2

  • two cells: exactly 6.
  • 2 ×one cell: left uncovered.
  • 2 ×two cells: all matching.
  • one cell: under 3.
  • two cells: exactly 2.
  • one cell: exactly 2.
  • five cells: all matching.
  • two cells: exactly 7.
  • two cells: exactly 11.
  • one cell: more than 4.
  • two cells: exactly 10.
  • two cells: exactly 1.
  • 2 ×one cell: exactly 6.
  • two cells: exactly 8.

Hard due to many dominoes and complex, interconnected constraints.

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 greater, 1 empty, 1 equals, 1 less, 1 sum)
    Medium board
    7 dominoes, 8 regions (4 sum, 2 equals, 1 empty, 1 greater)
    Hard board
    15 dominoes, 17 regions (10 sum, 3 equals, 2 empty, 1 greater, 1 less)
    Back to the board inventories
  2. Easy board: how to approach it

    Method only.

    Start by identifying regions with unique constraints, focusing on those that limit domino placement significantly.

  3. Easy board: where to start

    One region named by its constraint.

    Begin with the region that must have a sum 1 over 3 cells, as it has the most restrictive condition.

  4. Medium board: approach and first region

    The same two steps, one difficulty up.

    Look for regions with sum constraints and try to satisfy them with dominoes that have numbers close together.

    Start with the equals over 2 cells region, as it has a straightforward requirement.

  5. Hard board: how to approach it

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

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

  6. Hard board: where to start

    The last rung before the full walkthroughs.

    Begin with a region that has a sum constraint over a small number of cells, such as sum 2 over 2 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 0/0 domino first, as it must be in the sum 1 over 3 cells region. Then, use the 5/3, 5/6, and 5/5 dominoes to satisfy the greater constraints. The 2/1 domino fits in the remaining space, satisfying all conditions.

  • Medium board · 7 dominoes

    Medium board walkthrough

    Begin by placing dominoes that satisfy the sum 6 and sum 11 over 2 cells regions. Use the equals constraints to anchor other dominoes, then fill in the rest to meet the sum and greater conditions.

  • Hard board · 15 dominoes

    Hard board walkthrough

    Start by satisfying the sum 6 over 2 cells and equals over 2 cells regions with dominoes like 3/3 and 1/5. Then, use dominoes like 4/2 and 3/2 to meet the sum and greater constraints. Continue placing dominoes to satisfy the less 3, sum 7, sum 11, and other conditions, ensuring all regions are filled according to their constraints. The dominoes 1/3, 6/5, and 6/4 help satisfy the greater and sum conditions in the remaining regions.

Those boards by the numbers

Date
Tuesday, September 22, 2026
Boards
3 — easy, medium, hard
Dominoes in play
27 across the three boards
Easy board
5 dominoes · 6 regions
Medium board
7 dominoes · 8 regions
Hard board
15 dominoes · 17 regions

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