Monday brings a fresh set of NYT Pips puzzles. Today's set leans on exact-value and comparison zones, so a mix of quick arithmetic and placement logic will carry you through all three boards.
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
Puzzle Debrief
Overall Difficulty: Moderate challenge. Today's set reuses a single zone layout across all three levels, so the difference is less about new geometry and more about pressure and planning depth.
Trickiest Puzzle: Hard - The teal (>16) zone is the highest-stakes decision on the board. Commit your two best dominoes there early or you'll paint yourself into a corner, and the matching navy (=) and teal (=) zones punish careless placement of high tiles.
Our Take: This is a clean, satisfying board built around exact-value constraints and match zones. The real skill test is sequencing: solve the tightest conditions first, keep your 6/6 and your zeros protected, and the rest of the grid falls into place.
A solid Monday warm-up with enough teeth to keep you honest.
Tomorrow's Pips drops at midnight. See you then.
