TodayHint

Pips September 3, 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 5 regions. The medium board adds complexity with 7 dominoes and regions. The hard board challenges with 14 dominoes and 17 regions, requiring careful constraint satisfaction.

The three boards that day

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

Easy board · 5 dominoes · 5 regions

3–00–54–53–22–6

  • two cells: exactly 10.
  • three cells: exactly 10.
  • three cells: exactly 2.
  • one cell: exactly 2.
  • one cell: more than 5.

Small number of dominoes and regions makes it manageable.

Medium board · 7 dominoes · 7 regions

0–36–60–54–60–06–15–5

  • two cells: under 5.
  • 2 ×two cells: all matching.
  • two cells: exactly 7.
  • two cells: exactly 1.
  • three cells: more than 1.
  • one cell: under 3.

More regions and dominoes add complexity.

Hard board · 14 dominoes · 17 regions

2–54–15–34–62–34–05–56–10–26–61–23–04–56–3

  • 2 ×two cells: more than 9.
  • two cells: all matching.
  • one cell: more than 1.
  • four cells: all matching.
  • one cell: under 3.
  • one cell: more than 3.
  • 2 ×one cell: more than 0.
  • 3 ×two cells: exactly 2.
  • two cells: exactly 10.
  • two cells: exactly 5.
  • one cell: more than 2.
  • one cell: more than 4.
  • one cell: exactly 4.

Large number of dominoes and regions, with complex 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, 5 regions (4 sum, 1 greater)
    Medium board
    7 dominoes, 7 regions (2 equals, 2 less, 2 sum, 1 greater)
    Hard board
    14 dominoes, 17 regions (8 greater, 6 sum, 2 equals, 1 less)
    Back to the board inventories
  2. Easy board: how to approach it

    Method only.

    Start by identifying regions with unique constraints, then look for dominoes that can only fit in one place.

  3. Easy board: where to start

    One region named by its constraint.

    The region that must sum to 2 over 1 cell.

  4. Medium board: approach and first region

    The same two steps, one difficulty up.

    Focus on regions with equality constraints and look for dominoes with matching numbers.

    The region that must equal a value over 2 cells.

  5. Hard board: how to approach it

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

    Look for regions with tight constraints, such as sums or comparisons over single cells.

  6. Hard board: where to start

    The last rung before the full walkthroughs.

    The region that must be greater than 9 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 2/6 domino in the region that must be greater than 5. Then, place the 3/2 domino in the sum 2 over 3 cell region. Next, place the 4/5 domino in the sum 10 over 3 cell region. The 3/0 domino goes in the sum 10 over 2 cell region. Finally, place the 0/5 domino in the remaining region.

  • Medium board · 7 dominoes

    Medium board walkthrough

    Start by placing the 0/0 domino in the equals over 2 cell region. Then, place the 6/6 domino in the region that must be equal. The 5/5 domino goes in the sum 7 over 2 cell region. Next, place the 0/3 and 0/5 dominoes in the less 5 over 2 cell region and the sum 1 over 2 cell region. The 4/6 domino fits in the greater 1 over 3 cell region. Finally, place the 6/1 domino in the remaining region.

  • Hard board · 14 dominoes

    Hard board walkthrough

    Begin by placing the 6/6 and 5/5 dominoes in the equality regions. Then, place the 4/1 and 2/5 dominoes in the greater 9 over 2 cell regions. The 6/3 domino fits in a region with a greater constraint. Continue placing dominoes in regions with unique constraints, such as the sum 10 over 2 cell region and the less 3 over 1 cell region. As the board fills, focus on satisfying the sum and comparison constraints. The 1/2 and 0/2 dominoes go in regions with small sum constraints. Finally, adjust the placements to satisfy all constraints.

Those boards by the numbers

Date
Thursday, September 3, 2026
Boards
3 — easy, medium, hard
Dominoes in play
26 across the three boards
Easy board
5 dominoes · 5 regions
Medium board
7 dominoes · 7 regions
Hard board
14 dominoes · 17 regions

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