TodayHint

Pips September 30, 2026: Hints & Answers

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

Recap

The easy board requires strategic placement of 5 dominoes in 6 regions. The medium board involves 7 dominoes in 6 regions with more complex constraints. The hard board features 15 dominoes in 15 regions with a wide range of constraints, making it the most challenging.

The three boards that day

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

Easy board · 5 dominoes · 6 regions

6–01–35–45–16–6

  • one cell: exactly 1.
  • 2 ×one cell: left uncovered.
  • three cells: all matching.
  • two cells: exactly 1.
  • two cells: exactly 10.

This board is relatively easy due to the small number of dominoes and simple constraints.

Medium board · 7 dominoes · 6 regions

1–42–52–25–36–42–32–1

  • three cells: exactly 11.
  • one cell: under 2.
  • three cells: all different.
  • three cells: under 8.
  • one cell: exactly 2.
  • three cells: all matching.

This board has more complex constraints than the easy board, but still manageable with careful planning.

Hard board · 15 dominoes · 15 regions

0–04–13–22–64–54–01–52–43–44–63–12–22–54–45–6

  • three cells: all matching.
  • two cells: exactly 6.
  • three cells: exactly 3.
  • two cells: exactly 2.
  • four cells: exactly 22.
  • 2 ×two cells: exactly 9.
  • one cell: under 1.
  • 2 ×one cell: more than 4.
  • four cells: all matching.
  • 2 ×one cell: left uncovered.
  • two cells: all different.
  • one cell: exactly 2.

This board is challenging due to the large number of dominoes and complex constraints, requiring careful analysis and planning.

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 empty, 1 equals)
    Medium board
    7 dominoes, 6 regions (2 less, 2 sum, 1 equals, 1 unequal)
    Hard board
    15 dominoes, 15 regions (7 sum, 2 empty, 2 equals, 2 greater, 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 look for dominoes that can only fit in one place.

  3. Easy board: where to start

    One region named by its constraint.

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

  4. Medium board: approach and first region

    The same two steps, one difficulty up.

    Look for regions with limited possibilities and try to place dominoes that satisfy multiple constraints at once.

    The region with a sum of 2 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 regions with the most restrictive constraints and use a process of elimination to narrow down possibilities.

  6. Hard board: where to start

    The last rung before the full walkthroughs.

    The region with an equals constraint over 3 cells is a good 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 6/0 domino in the sum 1 over 1 cell region. Then, place the 6/6 domino in the sum 10 over 2 cell region. Next, place the 5/1 domino in the sum 1 over 2 cell region. After that, place the 1/3 domino in the equals over 3 cell region. Finally, place the 5/4 domino in the remaining empty region.

  • Medium board · 7 dominoes

    Medium board walkthrough

    Place the 2/1 domino in the sum 2 over 1 cell region. Then, place the 2/2 domino in the equals over 3 cell region. Next, place the 2/3 domino in the less 2 over 1 cell region. After that, place the 2/5 domino in the unequal over 3 cell region. Then, place the 5/3 domino in the sum 11 over 3 cell region. Place the 6/4 domino in the less 8 over 3 cell region. Finally, place the 1/4 domino in the remaining region.

  • Hard board · 15 dominoes

    Hard board walkthrough

    Begin by placing the 0/0 domino in the empty region. Then, place the 4/0 and 4/1 dominoes in the sum 6 over 2 cell and sum 3 over 3 cell regions. Next, place the 3/1 and 2/2 dominoes in the sum 2 over 2 cell and sum 9 over 2 cell regions. After that, place the 4/4 and 5/6 dominoes in the equals over 4 cell and greater 4 over 1 cell regions. Continue by placing the 2/4, 2/5, and 3/2 dominoes in the less 1 over 1 cell, sum 2 over 1 cell, and unequal over 2 cell regions. Then, place the 4/5 and 1/5 dominoes in the sum 22 over 4 cell region. Place the 3/4 domino in the greater 4 over 1 cell region. Finally, place the remaining dominoes in the remaining regions, satisfying all constraints.

Those boards by the numbers

Date
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Boards
3 — easy, medium, hard
Dominoes in play
27 across the three boards
Easy board
5 dominoes · 6 regions
Medium board
7 dominoes · 6 regions
Hard board
15 dominoes · 15 regions

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