Friday brings a fresh set of NYT Pips puzzles that test your domino-placement logic across three escalating difficulty tiers. The same 18-zone grid configuration runs through all three levels, but the challenge ramps up as conditions tighten and flexibility shrinks. We've got hints, step-by-step walkthroughs, and full solutions for Easy, Medium, and Hard difficulty levels.
How to Play Pips
Pips is a domino placement puzzle where you fill a grid of color-coded zones. Each zone has a condition 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 equal 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 Color Free space, any domino value works
Click or tap dominoes to rotate them. Each puzzle has one or more valid solutions.
Today's Easy Pips
Today's Medium Pips
Today's Hard Pips
Quick Hints (No Spoilers)
Starting Point: The equal-condition zones are still your best first move, but on Hard you have less margin for error. Lock in orange (=), navy (=), purple (=), and pink (=) immediately with their matching-pair dominoes.
Key Insight: The teal (>4) and teal (<4) zones sit on opposite ends of the grid and their conditions are mutually exclusive. The teal (>4) zone can only accept pips 5 or 6, while teal (<4) accepts 0 through 3. These constraints ripple across the entire board.
Watch Out For: The purple (4) zone appears twice in the grid. Both must total exactly 4, but they use different dominoes. The 4/4 domino spans one purple (4) and green (4), while the other purple (4) uses 2/2. Don't confuse the two zones or you'll run out of valid placements.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough
- 1.Identify all four equal-condition zones: orange (=), navy (=), purple (=), and pink (=). These require dominoes with matching values on both halves. Place 3/3 vertically in orange (=), 6/6 horizontally in navy (=), 0/0 vertically in purple (=), and 5/5 vertically in pink (=). These are forced placements with no alternatives.
- 2.Now address the exact-number constraints. The purple (4) zone in the upper-left and the green (4) zone directly below it share a border. Place the 4/4 domino vertically so both zones get exactly 4. This is the only domino that satisfies both simultaneously.
- 3.The teal (>4) zone in the upper-right requires a pip value greater than 4. The 4/6 domino placed horizontally works here, with the 6 in teal (>4) and the 4 in the adjacent pink (4) zone. This satisfies both conditions.
- 4.The remaining purple (4) zone (lower section) needs a total of 4. Place the 2/2 domino horizontally here. Total: 4.
- 5.Place the 4/3 domino vertically in the teal (4) zone and orange (<4) zone. The 4 satisfies teal (4) and the 3 satisfies orange (<4).
- 6.The navy (=) zone still has space. Place the 6/2 domino vertically, with the 6 extending the navy equal zone and the 2 going into the pink (4) zone.
- 7.Place the 4/0 domino vertically in the navy (4) zone and purple (=) zone. The 4 satisfies navy (4) and the 0 extends purple (=).
- 8.Place the 0/3 domino horizontally in purple (=) and navy (>0). The 0 keeps the purple equal condition intact, and the 3 satisfies navy (>0).
- 9.Place the 4/5 domino vertically in green (4) and pink (=). The 4 satisfies green (4) and the 5 extends pink (=).
- 10.Place the 1/4 domino horizontally in teal (<4) and orange (4). The 1 satisfies teal (<4) and the 4 satisfies orange (4).
- 11.Place the 1/1 domino horizontally in the remaining pink (4) zone. Total: 4.
- 12.Place the 2/4 domino vertically in teal (<4) and green (4) to finish. The 2 satisfies teal (<4) and the 4 satisfies green (4).
Hard Pips Solution
Last chance to solve independently
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- 1.Place the 4/4 domino vertically in the purple (4) zone and green (4) zone
- 2.Place the 4/6 domino horizontally in the pink (4) zone and teal (>4) zone
- 3.Place the 2/2 domino horizontally in the purple (4) zone
- 4.Place the 4/3 domino vertically in the teal (4) zone and orange (<4) zone
- 5.Place the 3/3 domino vertically in the orange (=) zone
- 6.Place the 6/6 domino horizontally in the navy (=) zone
- 7.Place the 1/1 domino horizontally in the pink (4) zone
- 8.Place the 6/2 domino vertically in the navy (=) zone and pink (4) zone
- 9.Place the 4/0 domino vertically in the navy (4) zone and purple (=) zone
- 10.Place the 0/0 domino vertically in the purple (=) zone
- 11.Place the 0/3 domino horizontally in the purple (=) zone and navy (>0) zone
- 12.Place the 4/5 domino vertically in the green (4) zone and pink (=) zone
- 13.Place the 5/5 domino vertically in the pink (=) zone
- 14.Place the 1/4 domino horizontally in the teal (<4) zone and orange (4) zone
- 15.Place the 2/4 domino vertically in the teal (<4) zone and green (4) zone
Puzzle Debrief
Overall Difficulty: Moderate challenge. The grid layout uses 18 zones with a heavy concentration of exact-number and equal conditions, which creates a logical chain of forced placements. Once you identify the four equal-condition anchors, the rest of the board falls into place with careful attention to zone adjacency.
Trickiest Puzzle: Hard - The dual purple (4) zones create a trap. One requires the 4/4 domino spanning into green (4), while the other needs the 2/2 domino. Mixing these up or trying to use 4/4 for the wrong purple zone will break the entire solution. The teal (>4) and teal (<4) constraints on opposite ends also demand precise orientation choices.
Our Take: Today's Pips set is a solid test of zone-condition logic with a clean difficulty curve. Easy gets you comfortable with the grid layout, Medium adds pressure on placement order, and Hard punishes hesitation with tighter constraints. The equal-condition zones are the key unlock -- lock those in first and the rest of the board cooperates. Tomorrow's Pips drops at midnight. See you then.
