Pips hints and answers for Tuesday, September 29, 2026

A tall, narrow board, five rows by three columns, ruled almost entirely by single cells: row 1, column 3 and row 2, column 2 and row 3, column 1 must each be less than 2, row 2, column 3 and row 4, column 3 must each beat 4, the pair standing in column 2, rows 3-4, must match each other, and the pair standing in column 1, rows 4-5, must match each other. One single cell carries no rule at all: row 5, column 2.

Every less-than-2 cell is a 0, and the three 0s arrive on three different dominoes: the 5-0 domino standing in column 3, rows 1-2, puts its 0 at the top, the 0-2 domino standing in column 2, rows 2-3, puts its 0 in row 2, and the 3-0 domino standing in column 1, rows 3-4, puts its 0 in row 3. Both greater-than-4 cells are 5s: the 5 of that 5-0 domino in row 2, and the 5 at row 4, column 3, the end of the 2-5 domino lying across row 4, columns 2-3.

Both equals pairs are doubles in disguise: column 2, rows 3-4, reads 2 over 2, the bottom of the 0-2 domino over the start of the 2-5 domino, and column 1, rows 4-5, reads 3 over 3, the top of the 3-0 domino over the bottom of the 4-3 domino lying across row 5, columns 1-2 in reverse, whose 4 fills the empty cell in row 5.

Start with the three-cell equals region at the top left: row 1, column 2, plus row 2, columns 1-2, must all match each other. The pair across row 1, columns 3-4 must total less than 7, the pair standing in column 3, rows 2-3, must all differ, the three cells standing in column 4, rows 2-4, must total less than 12, and the pair standing in column 5, rows 2-3, must beat 8 together. Two single cells finish the board: row 3, column 1 must add to exactly 1, and row 3, column 2 carries no rule at all.

The equals region is all 4s, arriving on two dominoes: the 4-5 domino lying across row 1, columns 2-3, whose 4 sits at column 2, and the 4-4 domino lying across row 2, columns 1-2 on its own. The less-than-7 pair reads 5 beside 0: that 5 is the other end of the 4-5 domino, and the 0 is the top of the 0-5 domino standing in column 4, rows 1-2.

The unequal pair in column 3 reads 6 over 2 on the 2-6 domino standing there, and the less-than-12 column reads 5, 3, 3: the 5 of the 0-5 domino and the 3-3 domino standing in column 4, rows 3-4. The greater-than-8 pair in column 5 is the 6-6 domino standing in rows 2-3 on its own. The pinned 1 at row 3, column 1 is the start of the 1-2 domino lying across row 3, columns 1-2, whose 2 fills the empty cell beside it.

A tall board, seven rows by five columns, with 14 dominoes and a long list of single-cell rules. Two equals regions anchor it: the four cells at row 1, columns 3-4, plus row 2, columns 4-5, must all match, and the three cells at row 3, columns 4-5, plus row 4, column 5, must all match. Two cells carry no rule at all: row 1, column 1 and row 7, column 1. The singles: row 1, column 5 must add to exactly 4, row 2, column 1 must be less than 1, the pair across row 2, columns 2-3 must add to 3, row 3, column 1 must beat 5, row 3, column 2 must beat 1, row 4, column 1 must beat 3, row 5, column 1 must be less than 2, the pair across row 5, columns 4-5 must add to 7, row 6, column 1 must add to exactly 3, row 7, column 2 must add to exactly 4, and row 7, column 4 must add to exactly 2. The four cells at row 5, column 3, plus row 6, columns 3-4 and row 7, column 3 must add to 9 together, and the pair standing in column 5, rows 6-7, must match each other.

The top equals region is all 3s, arriving on three dominoes: the 3-3 domino lying across row 1, columns 3-4 on its own, the 3 at row 2, column 4, the top of the 5-3 domino standing in column 4, rows 2-3, and the 3 at row 2, column 5, the bottom of the 3-4 domino standing in column 5, rows 1-2, whose 4 fills the pinned 4 at the top. The second equals region is all 5s: that 5 at row 3, column 4, the bottom of the 5-3 domino, and the 5-5 domino standing in column 5, rows 3-4. The less-than-1 cell in row 2 is the 0 of the 2-0 domino standing in column 1, rows 1-2, whose 2 fills the empty cell at the top, and the sum-3 pair in row 2 reads 0 beside 3 on the 0-3 domino lying across columns 2-3.

Down the left edge: the greater-than-5 cell in row 3 is the 6 of the 6-3 domino lying across row 3, columns 1-2, whose 3 clears the greater-than-1 cell beside it; the greater-than-3 cell in row 4 is the 4 of the 1-4 domino standing in column 1, rows 4-5, whose 1 fills the less-than-2 cell in row 5; and the pinned 3 in row 6 is the top of the 3-2 domino standing in column 1, rows 6-7, whose 2 fills the empty cell at the bottom. The sum-9 region in the lower middle reads 1, 1, 5, 2: the 1-1 domino standing in column 3, rows 5-6, the 5 at row 6, column 4, the top of the 2-5 domino standing in column 4, rows 6-7, and the 2 at row 7, column 3, the end of the 4-2 domino lying across row 7, columns 2-3, whose 4 fills the pinned 4 beside it. The sum-7 pair in row 5 reads 1 beside 6 on the 1-6 domino lying across columns 4-5, the equals pair standing in column 5, rows 6-7, is all 4s on the 4-4 domino, and the pinned 2 in row 7, column 4, is the bottom of that 2-5 domino.