Monday brings a fresh set of NYT Pips puzzles. Today's set features a balanced progression from straightforward zone math to complex multi-zone constraints. 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
Quick Hints (No Spoilers)
Starting Point: Begin with the pink zone requiring exactly 6 pips - it's isolated and has only one domino that can satisfy it.
Key Insight: The orange "=" zone needs identical numbers on both halves of any domino placed there.
Easy Pips Solution
Scroll past if you want to keep trying
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- 1.Place the 0/6 domino horizontally in the pink (6) zone
- 2.Place the 6/3 domino vertically in the purple (6) zone and orange (=) zone
- 3.Place the 3/3 domino horizontally in the orange (=) zone
- 4.Place the 3/0 domino horizontally in the teal (5) zone
- 5.Place the 2/6 domino vertically in the navy (6) zone and teal (5) zone
Today's Medium Pips
Quick Hints (No Spoilers)
Starting Point: Look at the purple "≠" zone first - it needs all different numbers, which limits domino placement options.
Key Insight: The pink "=" and teal "=" zones require identical numbers, creating natural domino bridges between zones.
Medium Pips Solution
Scroll past if you want to keep trying
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- 1.Place the 5/6 domino horizontally in the purple (≠) zone and pink (=) zone
- 2.Place the 3/3 domino horizontally in the uncolored (no condition) zone
- 3.Place the 0/6 domino horizontally in the purple (≠) zone and pink (=) zone
- 4.Place the 2/4 domino horizontally in the purple (≠) zone and teal (=) zone
- 5.Place the 6/6 domino vertically in the pink (=) zone
- 6.Place the 4/0 domino vertically in the teal (=) zone and orange (<2) zone
- 7.Place the 6/2 domino vertically in the pink (=) zone and navy (<4) zone
Today's Hard Pips
Quick Hints (No Spoilers)
Starting Point: Begin with the small square puzzle - the orange zone requiring exactly 7 pips has limited domino options.
Key Insight: The big square puzzle's multiple "=" zones create domino chains where identical numbers must flow through adjacent zones.
Watch Out For: The purple zone in the big square requires exactly 3 pips total - this is a tight constraint that determines several domino placements.
Hard Pips Solution
Last chance to solve independently
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Small Square
- 1.Place the 6/6 domino horizontally in the orange (7) zone
- 2.Place the 5/6 domino vertically in the purple (11) zone
- 3.Place the 1/4 domino vertically in the orange (7) zone and pink (7) zone
- 4.Place the 0/3 domino horizontally in the navy (<6) zone and pink (7) zone
Big Square
- 1.Place the 3/2 domino horizontally in the purple (3) zone and pink (=) zone
- 2.Place the 2/5 domino horizontally in the pink (=) zone and teal (6) zone
- 3.Place the 0/2 domino horizontally in the navy (=) zone and pink (=) zone
- 4.Place the 6/4 domino vertically in the green (6) zone and teal (=) zone
- 5.Place the 1/0 domino vertically in the teal (6) zone and orange (=) zone
- 6.Place the 0/0 domino vertically in the navy (=) zone
- 7.Place the 4/4 domino vertically in the teal (=) zone
- 8.Place the 4/0 domino horizontally in the teal (=) zone and orange (=) zone
Puzzle Debrief
Overall Difficulty: Moderate challenge with clear progression from simple zone math to complex domino chains.
Trickiest Puzzle: Hard - The big square's multiple "=" zones create intricate domino relationships that require careful planning of number flow between adjacent zones.
Our Take: Today's puzzles demonstrate how Pips evolves from basic arithmetic constraints to spatial logic problems. The Hard puzzle's "=" zone chains teach valuable domino placement strategy: identical numbers must propagate through connected zones, creating domino sequences rather than isolated placements.
Tomorrow's Pips drops at midnight. See you then.
