TodayHint

Pips September 26, 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. The medium board involves 8 dominoes and 9 regions, with a mix of constraints. The hard board challenges with 16 dominoes and 32 regions, demanding careful consideration of each constraint.

The three boards that day

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

Easy board · 5 dominoes · 6 regions

4–12–42–21–34–5

  • one cell: more than 3.
  • three cells: all matching.
  • two cells: all matching.
  • 2 ×one cell: exactly 1.
  • two cells: exactly 8.

Small number of dominoes and regions makes it manageable.

Medium board · 8 dominoes · 9 regions

5–54–16–30–13–33–42–14–5

  • two cells: exactly 2.
  • two cells: exactly 5.
  • three cells: exactly 5.
  • one cell: exactly 4.
  • two cells: all matching.
  • one cell: left uncovered.
  • three cells: all matching.
  • one cell: more than 3.
  • one cell: more than 5.

More dominoes and regions increase the complexity.

Hard board · 16 dominoes · 32 regions

0–10–20–30–40–51–21–31–41–52–32–42–53–43–54–53–6

  • 5 ×one cell: exactly 5.
  • 5 ×one cell: exactly 2.
  • 5 ×one cell: exactly 0.
  • 5 ×one cell: exactly 4.
  • 5 ×one cell: exactly 3.
  • 4 ×one cell: exactly 1.
  • 3 ×one cell: left uncovered.

Large number of dominoes and regions, with many constraints to satisfy.

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 (3 sum, 2 equals, 1 greater)
    Medium board
    8 dominoes, 9 regions (4 sum, 2 equals, 2 greater, 1 empty)
    Hard board
    16 dominoes, 32 regions (29 sum, 3 empty)
    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 can be solved with a single domino.

  3. Easy board: where to start

    One region named by its constraint.

    The region with a sum of 1 over 1 cell.

  4. Medium board: approach and first region

    The same two steps, one difficulty up.

    Look for regions with limited possible domino placements, such as those with a sum or equals constraint.

    The region with an equals constraint over 2 cell(s).

  5. Hard board: how to approach it

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

    Focus on regions with the most restrictive constraints, such as sum 0 or empty regions.

  6. Hard board: where to start

    The last rung before the full walkthroughs.

    A region with a sum 0 over 1 cell(s) constraint.

    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 4/1 in the greater 3 over 1 cell(s) region. Then, place 2/2 in the equals over 2 cell(s) region. Next, place 1/3 in the sum 1 over 1 cell(s) region. After that, place 2/4 in the equals over 3 cell(s) region. Finally, place 4/5 in the remaining region.

  • Medium board · 8 dominoes

    Medium board walkthrough

    Begin by placing 5/5 in the sum 5 over 3 cell(s) region. Then, place 4/1 in the greater 5 over 1 cell(s) region. Continue with 3/3 in the sum 2 over 2 cell(s) region. Place 0/1 in the empty over 1 cell(s) region. Next, place 3/4 in the equals over 3 cell(s) region. After that, place 2/1 in the greater 3 over 1 cell(s) region. Then, place 6/3 in the sum 5 over 2 cell(s) region. Finally, place 4/5 and 3/3 in the remaining regions.

  • Hard board · 16 dominoes

    Hard board walkthrough

    Start by placing 0/1, 0/2, 0/3, 0/4, 0/5 in the sum 0 over 1 cell(s) regions. Then, place 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/5 in regions with sum 1 over 1 cell(s) and similar constraints. Continue with 2/3, 2/4, 2/5 in regions requiring these numbers. Place 3/4, 3/5, 4/5 in regions with matching constraints. Fill in the rest according to the constraints, ensuring each region's requirement is met. This process involves trial and error with the given dominoes.

Those boards by the numbers

Date
Saturday, September 26, 2026
Boards
3 — easy, medium, hard
Dominoes in play
29 across the three boards
Easy board
5 dominoes · 6 regions
Medium board
8 dominoes · 9 regions
Hard board
16 dominoes · 32 regions

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