Friday brings a fresh set of NYT Pips puzzles. Today's lineup is a consistent challenge across all three difficulty levels, with the same grid pattern and zone layout appearing in Easy, Medium, and Hard. That means mastering the logic once unlocks all three. We've got hints, step-by-step walkthroughs, and full solutions for each difficulty level.
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: Same zone layout as Easy and Medium, but the Hard difficulty demands tighter precision. Start with the navy (=) zones and the 6/6 domino -- it can only go in one place.
Key Insight: The inequality zones (teal >4, teal <3, orange >4, orange <3, green <3, green <4) act as hard filters. Only specific dominoes pass through each one. Map out which dominoes satisfy each inequality before placing anything else.
Watch Out For: The teal (3) zone is easy to misread. It requires exactly 3, not less than 3. Don't confuse it with the adjacent teal (<3) zone. Similarly, the green (=) zone and green (<4) zone look alike but enforce different rules.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough
- 1.Place the 4/4 vertically at the top, bridging the uncolored (no condition) zone and the orange (4) zone. This is the only placement for this domino since orange (4) demands all pips equal 4 and the uncolored zone has no restriction.
- 2.Place the 3/3 vertically in the pink (3) zone and the second uncolored zone. Pink (3) requires all pips to equal 3, so this domino locks in immediately.
- 3.Place the 4/3 horizontally connecting the purple (4) zone and the pink (3) zone. The 4 end satisfies purple's requirement; the 3 end satisfies pink's. This domino bridges two color zones efficiently.
- 4.Place the 0/0 vertically in the pink (3) zone. This fills the remaining pink cell with a matching pair that satisfies the zone condition.
- 5.Place the 5/6 vertically across the teal (>4) zone and a navy (=) zone. Both 5 and 6 exceed 4, satisfying teal's condition. The navy zone requires equal values, but with only one domino in that zone segment, the 5 and 6 are the only values -- the = condition applies across the full navy zone.
- 6.Place the 6/6 vertically in the navy (=) zone. Matching pair, clean fit.
- 7.Place the 2/4 horizontally across the green (<3) zone and the purple (4) zone. The 2 is under 3, satisfying green. The 4 matches purple's requirement.
- 8.Place the 3/6 vertically across the teal (3) zone and the orange (>4) zone. The 3 hits teal's exact requirement; the 6 exceeds orange's >4 threshold.
- 9.Place the 5/4 vertically across the navy (=) zone and the purple (4) zone. Both ends satisfy their respective conditions.
- 10.Place the 1/0 vertically in the teal (<3) zone. Both 1 and 0 are under 3, satisfying the condition.
- 11.Place the 5/3 vertically across the navy (=) zone and the pink (3) zone. The 3 satisfies pink's condition.
- 12.Place the 2/0 vertically across the green (=) zone and the orange (<3) zone. Both 2 and 0 are under 3 for orange. The green (=) zone requires all pips to match -- with one domino in this zone segment, the values just need to be consistent within the zone.
- 13.Place the 2/2 vertically in the green (=) zone. Matching pair, satisfies the equal condition.
- 14.Place the 5/1 vertically across the navy (>4) zone and the green (<4) zone. The 5 exceeds 4; the 1 is under 4. Both conditions satisfied.
Hard Pips Solution
Last chance to solve independently
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- 1.Place the 4/4 domino vertically in the uncolored (no condition) zone and orange (4) zone
- 2.Place the 3/3 domino vertically in the pink (3) zone and uncolored (no condition) zone
- 3.Place the 4/3 domino horizontally in the purple (4) zone and pink (3) zone
- 4.Place the 0/0 domino vertically in the pink (3) zone
- 5.Place the 5/6 domino vertically in the teal (>4) zone and navy (=) zone
- 6.Place the 6/6 domino vertically in the navy (=) zone
- 7.Place the 2/4 domino horizontally in the green (<3) zone and purple (4) zone
- 8.Place the 3/6 domino vertically in the teal (3) zone and orange (>4) zone
- 9.Place the 5/4 domino vertically in the navy (=) zone and purple (4) zone
- 10.Place the 1/0 domino vertically in the teal (<3) zone
- 11.Place the 5/3 domino vertically in the navy (=) zone and pink (3) zone
- 12.Place the 2/0 domino vertically in the green (=) zone and orange (<3) zone
- 13.Place the 2/2 domino vertically in the green (=) zone
- 14.Place the 5/1 domino vertically in the navy (>4) zone and green (<4) zone
Puzzle Debrief
Overall Difficulty: Moderate day with a twist -- all three difficulties share the same zone layout and solution, making this more about execution speed than escalating complexity.
Trickiest Puzzle: Hard -- not because the solution is different, but because the Hard difficulty typically adds more zones or dominoes. Today's Hard requires careful attention to the inequality thresholds, especially distinguishing the teal (3) exact zone from the teal (<3) inequality zone right next to it.
Our Take: An unusual Friday where Easy, Medium, and Hard converge on the same arrangement. This makes for a good practice day -- solve Easy to learn the layout, then race through Medium and Hard using the same logic. The navy (=) zones do a lot of heavy lifting here, and the inequality zones keep things from being too predictable. Solid mid-week workout for Pips players of any level.
Tomorrow's Pips drops at midnight. See you then.
