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Pips hints — Saturday, July 11, 2026

An archived puzzle. Pick your difficulty for a spoiler-safe nudge, then reveal the full board if you want it.

Saturday, July 11, 2026Archived board

Easy today: 5 dominoes, 6 regions and greater-than and target-sum constraints. We give you a light nudge first — enough to get unstuck without spoiling the fun — and the full answer only when you ask for it.

Hint 1 — where to start

Easy
Look at the orange region first. Across one cell it has to be exactly 1. Only 1 pip combination fits it at all, which is why it gives way first.

Hint 2

Easy
Place the 1–1 domino across row 3, columns 2–3. It is the only tile that works there, because orange must add up to exactly 1. The 1 half sits in the green region, which must add up to exactly 5.
Reveal the full Easy answer

Easy solution — July 11, 2026

22
11
24
23
03

blue (>3): 4 | purple (=5): 2 · 3 | green (=5): 2 · 2 · 1 | amber (=5): 2 · 3 | orange (=1): 1 | slate: 0

Prefer to watch it worked out step by step? Try the Pips Solver.

What each region asks for

RegionRuleCells
Blue>3 — Be more than 31
Purple5 — Add up to exactly 52
Green5 — Add up to exactly 53
Amber5 — Add up to exactly 52
Orange1 — Be exactly 11
SlateTake any value it likes1

Medium today: 7 dominoes, 11 regions and greater-than and target-sum constraints. We give you a light nudge first — enough to get unstuck without spoiling the fun — and the full answer only when you ask for it.

Hint 1 — where to start

Medium
Look at the brown region first. Across one cell it has to be exactly 3. Only 1 pip combination fits it at all, which is why it gives way first.

Hint 2

Medium
Place the 3–6 domino down column 3, rows 4–5. It is the only tile that works there, because brown must add up to exactly 3. The 3 half sits in the brown region, which must be exactly 3.

Hint 3

Medium
The 6–6 belongs down column 5, rows 1–2. It is the only tile that works there, because blue must add up to more than 3. The 6 half sits in the blue region, which must be more than 3.
Reveal the full Medium answer

Medium solution — July 11, 2026

03
04
05
06
35
36
66

blue (>3): 6 | purple (=9): 3 · 6 | green: 0 | amber (=9): 5 · 4 | orange (>0): 3 | slate: 0 | teal (=11): 5 · 6 | pink: 0 | lime (>4): 6 | brown (=3): 3 | blue: 0

Prefer to watch it worked out step by step? Try the Pips Solver.

What each region asks for

RegionRuleCells
Blue>3 — Be more than 31
Purple9 — Add up to exactly 92
GreenTake any value it likes1
Amber9 — Add up to exactly 92
Orange>0 — Be more than 01
SlateTake any value it likes1
Teal11 — Add up to exactly 112
PinkTake any value it likes1
Lime>4 — Be more than 41
Brown3 — Be exactly 31
BlueTake any value it likes1

Hard today: 11 dominoes, 14 regions and target-sum, less-than, greater-than and all-equal constraints. We give you a light nudge first — enough to get unstuck without spoiling the fun — and the full answer only when you ask for it.

Hard is where most players get stuck.We break it into small, spoiler-safe nudges so you can stop the moment you’re unstuck.

Hint 1 — where to start

Hard
Look at the orange region first. Across one cell it has to be exactly 3. Only 1 pip combination fits it at all, which is why it gives way first.

Hint 2

Hard
Place the 4–3 domino across row 1, columns 6–7. It is the only tile that works there, because orange must add up to exactly 3. The 4 half sits in the amber region, which must be more than 3.

Hint 3

Hard
The 1–6 belongs down column 1, rows 1–2. It is the only tile that works there, because slate must add up to exactly 6. The 1 half sits in the blue region, which must add up to exactly 6.

Hint 4

Hard
There is exactly one home for the 1–3: down column 7, rows 2–3. It is the only tile that works there, because pink must add up to exactly 3. The 1 half sits in the brown region, which must add up to exactly 3.
Reveal the full Hard answer

Hard solution — July 11, 2026

21
06
51
33
44
50
13
43
16
32
40

blue (=6): 1 · 5 | purple (<3): 1 | green (>3): 5 | amber (>3): 4 | orange (=3): 3 | slate (=6): 6 | teal (=3): 0 · 3 · 0 | pink (=3): 3 | lime (=6): 1 · 2 · 3 | brown (=3): 2 · 1 | blue (=3): 3 · 0 | purple (=6): 6 | green (=): 4 · 4 | amber (>3): 4

Prefer to watch it worked out step by step? Try the Pips Solver.

What each region asks for

RegionRuleCells
Blue6 — Add up to exactly 62
Purple<3 — Be less than 31
Green>3 — Be more than 31
Amber>3 — Be more than 31
Orange3 — Be exactly 31
Slate6 — Be exactly 61
Teal3 — Add up to exactly 33
Pink3 — Be exactly 31
Lime6 — Add up to exactly 63
Brown3 — Add up to exactly 32
Blue3 — Add up to exactly 32
Purple6 — Be exactly 61
Green= — Show the same number on every cell2
Amber>3 — Be more than 31
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