NYT Pips Hints, Answers and Walkthrough for Thursday, November 12, 2026

Thursday brings a fresh set of NYT Pips puzzles. Today's set builds from compact Easy and Medium boards to a sprawling Hard layout, with 16 dominoes and 20 zones to untangle. We've got quick hints and full solutions for Easy, Medium, and Hard.

How to Play Pips

Pips is a domino placement puzzle where you fill a grid of condition zones. Each zone has a rule you must satisfy using the pip values on your dominoes. The twist: you must use every domino and meet every condition to win.

Zone Conditions:

• = All pips in this zone must show the same number
• Not Equal All pips must be different numbers
• > Pips must be greater than the listed number
• < Pips must be less than the listed number
• Exact Number Pips must total that exact value
• No Condition Free space, any domino value works

Click or tap dominoes to rotate them. Each puzzle has one or more valid solutions. When two zones share the same rule, we number them in reading order, top to bottom.

Today's Easy Pips

The Easy board runs three rows by six columns, with ten open cells and five dominoes to place. Its condition zones: a two-cell zone that must total 9, a four-cell zone that must total 9, a two-cell zone that must total 4, a single cell that must show less than 3. Any other open cell is a free space.

Quick Hint: Start with the two-cell zone totaling 9 on the left. Compare that target with the values available in the domino pool before tackling the four-cell zone that also totals 9.

Today's Medium Pips

The Medium board runs four rows by four columns, with 14 open cells and seven dominoes to place. Its condition zones: a three-cell zone that must total less than 3, a three-cell zone where every pip must match, a two-cell zone where every pip must match, a two-cell zone that must total 9, a three-cell zone that must total 9, a single cell that must show more than 5. Any other open cell is a free space.

Quick Hint: Begin with the three-cell strip across the top, where the entire total must stay below 3. Inspect the partner of each blank end in the pool, because a low half alone does not make its domino safe for that strip.

Today's Hard Pips

The Hard board runs nine rows by nine columns, with 32 open cells and 16 dominoes to place. Its condition zones: a two-cell zone that must total more than 6, a two-cell zone that must total more than 8, a single cell that must show less than 4, three single cells that must total 0, a two-cell zone that must total less than 4, a three-cell zone that must total 3, two two-cell zones that must total more than 7, a single cell that must show less than 5, a three-cell zone where every pip must match, a two-cell zone that must total 6, a two-cell zone where every pip must match, a two-cell zone that must total less than 5, a single cell that must total 6, a single cell that must show more than 1. Any other open cell is a free space.

Quick Hint: The separate two-cell equality zone toward the lower left needs a double. Compare your doubles with the demands of the three-cell equality zone on the right before committing one.

Pips Solutions

Last chance to solve independently: full solutions below

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Easy Pips Solution

1. 1.Place the 0-6 domino horizontally across the less-than-3 cell and the second sum-9 zone, with the 0 in the less-than-3 cell.
2. 2.Place the 2-2 domino horizontally in the sum-4 zone.
3. 3.Place the 1-1 domino horizontally in the first sum-9 zone.
4. 4.Place the 2-1 domino horizontally with the 1 in the first sum-9 zone and the 2 on a free cell.
5. 5.Place the 3-6 domino horizontally across the second sum-9 zone and the first sum-9 zone, with the 3 in the second sum-9 zone.

Medium Pips Solution

1. 1.Place the 1-6 domino vertically across the first sum-9 zone and the second equals zone, with the 1 in the first sum-9 zone.
2. 2.Place the 5-6 domino horizontally across the second sum-9 zone and the more-than-5 cell, with the 5 in the second sum-9 zone.
3. 3.Place the 0-3 domino vertically across the less-than-3 zone and the first sum-9 zone, with the 0 in the less-than-3 zone.
4. 4.Place the 0-0 domino horizontally in the less-than-3 zone.
5. 5.Place the 4-4 domino vertically in the first equals zone.
6. 6.Place the 6-6 domino horizontally in the second equals zone.
7. 7.Place the 5-4 domino horizontally across the first sum-9 zone and the second sum-9 zone, with the 5 in the first sum-9 zone.

Hard Pips Solution

1. 1.Place the 0-3 domino horizontally across the first sum-0 cell and the less-than-4 cell, with the 0 in the first sum-0 cell.
2. 2.Place the 1-1 domino vertically in the sum-3 zone.
3. 3.Place the 4-1 domino vertically with the 4 in the more-than-1 cell and the 1 on a free cell.
4. 4.Place the 2-2 domino vertically in the first equals zone.
5. 5.Place the 3-4 domino horizontally in the more-than-6 zone.
6. 6.Place the 5-6 domino vertically in the more-than-8 zone.
7. 7.Place the 3-5 domino vertically in the second more-than-7 zone.
8. 8.Place the 2-3 domino vertically across the sum-6 zone and the first more-than-7 zone, with the 2 in the sum-6 zone.
9. 9.Place the 1-5 domino horizontally across the sum-3 zone and the first more-than-7 zone, with the 1 in the sum-3 zone.
10. 10.Place the 1-2 domino vertically in the less-than-4 zone.
11. 11.Place the 4-0 domino vertically across the less-than-5 cell and the second sum-0 cell, with the 4 in the less-than-5 cell.
12. 12.Place the 3-1 domino vertically in the less-than-5 zone.
13. 13.Place the 0-5 domino vertically with the 0 in the third sum-0 cell and the 5 on a free cell.
14. 14.Place the 1-6 domino horizontally with the 6 in the sum-6 cell and the 1 on a free cell.
15. 15.Place the 2-4 domino horizontally across the first equals zone and the sum-6 zone, with the 2 in the first equals zone.
16. 16.Place the 5-5 domino vertically in the second equals zone.

Puzzle Debrief

Overall Difficulty: This set has a clear difficulty climb. Easy's five dominoes offer a gentle opening, Medium adds more competing conditions, and Hard's 16 dominoes make allocation the main challenge.

Our Take: Hard delivers the strongest payoff through its doubles. The double-five fills the separate equality pair, while the double-two supplies two of the three matching values in the right-hand equality zone.

Until Tomorrow

See you tomorrow for another round of careful counting and satisfying fits.

Tomorrow's Pips drops at midnight. See you then.