Monday brings a fresh set of NYT Pips puzzles to start the week. This Monday's lineup uses a consistent set of zone conditions across all three difficulty levels -- exact totals, greater-than thresholds, less-than constraints, and an equal-sign zone. The difference is grid complexity and domino count. 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 teal (=) zone is your only equal-sign condition, and it demands the 0/0 double. Lock that in immediately -- it forces the 0/1 to bridge into the uncolored zone, which cascades into the rest of the layout.
Key Insight: The navy (>11) zone is the toughest constraint. With two dominoes inside (2/6 and 6/3), the combined total is 2+6+6+3=17, which exceeds 11. But you must also satisfy the green (3) zone on the other end of the 6/3. The 3 lands in green (3), which is an exact match. Every placement in this chain is forced -- there is no flexibility once you commit.
Watch Out For: The pink (14) zone looks like it needs three cells summing to 14. But the solution uses the 5/5 (both halves inside pink) and the 4/4 (only one half inside pink). The 4/4's other half goes into the uncolored zone. If you try to place both the 5/5 and 4/4 entirely inside pink (14), the total would be 10+8=18, which overshoots by 4. Only one half of the 4/4 belongs in pink.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough
- 1.Lock the teal (=) zone. Place the 0/0 double vertically. Both cells must show the same number; only a double works here.
- 2.Bridge teal (=) to the uncolored zone with the 0/1 placed vertically. The 0 matches the existing teal values. The 1 is unrestricted in the uncolored zone.
- 3.Work the orange (11) exact-total zone. Place the 4/6 vertically so the 6 lands in orange. The 4 lands in teal (>2) -- 4 is greater than 2, condition met.
- 4.Complete orange (11) with the 5/3 placed vertically. Orange now has 6+5=11, exactly. The 3 lands in navy (3), matching its exact-3 requirement.
- 5.Place the 2/6 vertically in the uncolored zone and navy (>11) zone. The 6 contributes to navy's total, which must exceed 11.
- 6.Place the 6/3 vertically in navy (>11) and green (3). Navy's running total is now 6 (from step 4's 3? No -- let me recalculate. Navy (3) is a separate zone from navy (>11). Let me re-examine the zones carefully.)
- 7.The navy (3) zone and navy (>11) zone are different zones sharing the same color. The 5/3's 3 lands in navy (3) -- exact match. The 2/6's 6 lands in navy (>11). The 6/3's 6 lands in navy (>11) and the 3 lands in green (3). Navy (>11) total: 6+6=12, which is greater than 11. Condition satisfied.
- 8.Place the 4/0 horizontally in green (>2) and purple (<2). The 4 is greater than 2. The 0 is less than 2. Both conditions satisfied.
- 9.Address pink (7). Place the 2/5 horizontally in purple (>1) and pink (7). The 2 is greater than 1. The 5 goes toward pink's total of 7.
- 10.Complete pink (7) with the 2/1 placed vertically. Pink total: 5+2=7. The 1 enters teal (7), starting its total.
- 11.Add the 3/3 vertically in teal (7). Teal total: 1+3=4. Still needs 3 more.
- 12.Place the 2/3 horizontally in an uncolored zone and purple (3). The 3 satisfies purple's exact-3 condition.
- 13.Place the 6/0 horizontally in orange (>4) and navy (<2). The 6 is greater than 4. The 0 is less than 2. Both conditions satisfied.
- 14.Place the 5/5 vertically in pink (14). Contributes 10 toward the total of 14.
- 15.Place the 4/4 horizontally in pink (14) and an uncolored zone. Only one half (4) lands in pink, bringing the total to 10+4=14. The other half is free.
Hard Pips Solution
Last chance to solve independently
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- 1.Place the 4/6 vertically in the teal (>2) zone and orange (11) zone
- 2.Place the 5/3 vertically in the orange (11) zone and navy (3) zone
- 3.Place the 2/6 vertically in the uncolored (no condition) zone and navy (>11) zone
- 4.Place the 6/3 vertically in the navy (>11) zone and green (3) zone
- 5.Place the 4/0 horizontally in the green (>2) zone and purple (<2) zone
- 6.Place the 2/5 horizontally in the purple (>1) zone and pink (7) zone
- 7.Place the 2/1 vertically in the pink (7) zone and teal (7) zone
- 8.Place the 3/3 vertically in the teal (7) zone
- 9.Place the 2/3 horizontally in the uncolored (no condition) zone and purple (3) zone
- 10.Place the 6/0 horizontally in the orange (>4) zone and navy (<2) zone
- 11.Place the 5/5 vertically in the pink (14) zone
- 12.Place the 4/4 horizontally in the pink (14) zone and uncolored (no condition) zone
- 13.Place the 0/0 vertically in the teal (=) zone
- 14.Place the 0/1 vertically in the teal (=) zone and uncolored (no condition) zone
Puzzle Debrief
Overall Difficulty: Moderate challenge. The zone conditions are diverse -- exact totals, greater-than, less-than, and one equal-sign constraint -- which keeps the logic varied across all three difficulties. The consistent zone layout means the same solution works for Easy, Medium, and Hard; the difference comes down to grid size and how many dominoes you must track simultaneously.
Trickiest Puzzle: Hard - The navy (>11) zone is the most demanding. With two dominoes (2/6 and 6/3) contributing a combined 12 pips, you need to verify that 12 exceeds 11 while also ensuring the adjacent green (3) zone gets its exact 3. The relationship between these zones is tight -- a single misplacement breaks both conditions. The pink (14) zone is also easy to overthink: the natural instinct is to fill it with two doubles, but that overshoots the total by 4.
Our Take: This Monday set is a solid test of exact-total arithmetic. The orange (11), pink (7), and pink (14) zones demand precise pip counting before you commit any domino. The equal-sign teal zone is the only "free" anchor -- everything else requires calculation. Good practice for training your mental math under constraint.
Tomorrow's Pips drops at midnight. See you then.
