Summer’s End and the Last Puzzle of the Season
As summer seems to be drawing to a close, here we stand on the brink of autumn. Monday marks the transition, which feels a bit overwhelming, honestly. I’m not quite ready for the temperature drop and seasonal changes. But as the saying goes, time keeps moving on, and before we know it, winter will be here on March 4th. So, here we are—let’s see where this all leads.
What’s the Deal with Friday’s Pip?
Curious about Friday’s puzzle? You can check it out right here.
How to Play Pip
Pip consists of a grid filled with multicolored boxes, each representing a different “state” that players need to achieve. The aim is to fill this grid with dominoes according to specific rules. Players can choose the number of dominoes used, and each condition must be satisfied to win. There are varying difficulty levels, ranging from easy to medium.
Take a look at this challenging example:
In the grid, you’ll notice various symbols and numbers linked to each color. For instance, three purple squares on the left must not be equal, while two adjacent pink squares must total zero. There are also zigzag blue squares that must match each other. Players need to rotate dominoes to fit them properly into the grid.
Some conditions that may appear in the grid include:
- All pips within a specified group must be equal.
- Pips in this group must not be equal to one another.
- This pip must exceed the number indicated.
- The exact number must match the specified value.
- Any tile without particular conditions can be utilized.
To emerge victorious, players must fill all squares and effectively utilize every domino to meet all conditions. Ready to tackle today’s puzzle? You can give it a go here.
Today’s PIPS Solution
Here’s a straightforward medium-level solution followed by a more complex one. Spoilers ahead!
Easy Level
Here’s an image of the easy solution:
Medium Level
And now for the medium difficulty:
Difficult Level
Now, let’s dive into today’s challenging puzzle. It kind of resembles a dancing goblin to me—just my interpretation! This goblin has a head and torso, fiery arms, but no legs. At least they seem to be missing, anyway.
Step 1
This puzzle is tricky—I had to reset a couple of times to really get it. You have to be mindful of your domino arrangement. Getting started isn’t obvious, but here’s what you’ll notice:
- To complete the Pink 12, you’ll need three 6s and a Blue 9 next door. That rules out using 5 and 4, as there’s no 4 available. So, it’ll have to be 6 and 3. This means that Pink 12 must consist of two sixes.
- With 1 tile and 3 groups, using those small pips wisely is key—it suggests the purple group must total 5.
- The Green 0 group obviously needs to total zero. You’ll have limited blank dominoes, so positioning them is crucial.
I figured I had to make use of all five dominoes. Starting with Purple made sense, using a combination of 6s and 0s. I placed a 5/0 from Purple to Green and noted where the other dominoes fit into the mix. I quickly realized I couldn’t afford to skip any moves.
Step 2
Next, I had to fill the green 0 group. The clues around Pink 3 helped. All three tiles must be 1, so we started placing dominoes accordingly—first a 1/1, followed by a 1/0 for Green.
Step 3
Now it was time to finalize my six. I moved Pink 12 to connect with a 6/0 in orange, knowing a 6/3 would fit into Blue 9 next. After that, a 6/2 went into free tiles from Blue 9.
Completion
With just two dominoes left, I fit a 1/3 Purple and a 2/1 Dark Blue into the remaining spaces. Voilà! The dancing goblin puzzle was complete.
This one was definitely challenging. I stumbled a few times, but once I pinpointed the necessary placements, everything clicked. Maybe it was just me, but it felt like quite the brain teaser!
Be sure to check back on this blog for daily puzzle solutions, movie reviews, and more interesting content!
