How to Play Pips

Q: How many dominoes are in a Pips puzzle?

It depends on the board. The Easy grid uses the fewest, and the Hard grid the most — the tray always holds exactly enough tiles to cover every cell, two cells per domino.

Q: Can a domino sit across two different regions?

Yes, and that is where most of the difficulty comes from. A tile straddling two regions has to satisfy both rules at once, which is usually what forces its position.

Q: What does the “≠” symbol mean in Pips?

It means no two cells in that region may show the same number. It is the rule that most often pushes a double (like 6–6) out of a region and into a specific corner.

Q: Is there always exactly one solution?

No. Many boards have several valid arrangements, and some have thousands. You only need one that satisfies every region.

The goal

Pips gives you a grid divided into coloured regions and a tray ofdominoes. You place every domino onto the grid so that each region’s rule is satisfied. When all dominoes are placed and no rule is broken, the puzzle is solved.

Each domino covers exactly two neighbouring cells, and each half shows a number of pips from 0 to 6 — the same tiles as a standard double-six set.

The board at a glance

Each colour is one region. The little label in the corner is its rule.

Region	Rule	Cells
Blue	=6 — Add up to exactly 6	2
Purple	= — Show the same number on every cell	2
Green	<4 — Add up to less than 4	2

What the symbols mean

This is the part most new players get stuck on. Every region carries one of these rules on the pip values inside it:

Sum equals N

All pips in the region add up to exactly N.

All equal

Every cell in the region shows the same number of pips.

≠

Not equal

No two cells in the region may show the same value.

Greater than N

The region total must be more than N.

Less than N

The region total must stay under N.

∅

No rule

A blank region accepts any values — useful breathing room.

The colours players search for — “dark blue”, “purple”, “the equals sign” — are just how people describe these regions out loud. On our boards each colour is one rule group, and the corner label tells you the exact constraint.

Step by step, the first time

Read every region’s rule before placing anything.
Find the most constrained region — a small target sum or an “all equal” usually has only one possible domino.
Place it, then check which neighbouring cells are now forced.
Work outward, backtracking the moment a placement breaks a rule.
When every domino is down and no rule is broken, you have solved it.

Why “most constrained first” works

It is not just a habit — it is measurable. An “all equal” region has only seven possible value sets no matter how big it is, because every cell must show the same number. A three-cell region with no rule has 343. Starting where the choices are fewest means each tile you place eliminates far more of what remains.

Our own solver uses exactly this rule, and our daily hints name the tightest region first for the same reason.

Want to see it in action? ThePips Solver plays out these steps on any board, and Strategy & Tips shows how to spot the forced moves faster.

Common questions

How many dominoes are in a Pips puzzle?

It depends on the board. The Easy grid uses the fewest, and the Hard grid the most — the tray always holds exactly enough tiles to cover every cell, two cells per domino.

Can a domino sit across two different regions?

Yes, and that is where most of the difficulty comes from. A tile straddling two regions has to satisfy both rules at once, which is usually what forces its position.

What does the “≠” symbol mean in Pips?

It means no two cells in that region may show the same number. It is the rule that most often pushes a double (like 6–6) out of a region and into a specific corner.

Is there always exactly one solution?

No. Many boards have several valid arrangements, and some have thousands. You only need one that satisfies every region.

Today’s hint Practise now