Saturday brings a fresh set of NYT Pips puzzles. July 4 delivers a balanced challenge across all three tiers, with the same zone layout scaled by difficulty. Exact-number zones and inequality conditions create a satisfying logic puzzle that rewards methodical placement. 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 navy (>4) and pink (>4) inequality zones are your critical constraints. Every pip placed in these zones must be 5 or 6, which severely limits your high-value domino options.
Key Insight: The green (=) condition must be satisfied across three separate zones. The only way to do this cleanly is a domino with matching halves -- but you also need that same value to appear in neighboring zones. The 3/3 domino is the key.
Watch Out For: The teal (7) zone appears three times and must total exactly 7 across all its cells. Keep a running tally of every pip placed in teal zones. One wrong placement here cascades into a broken board. Also, the orange (7) zone requires careful summing -- the 6/0 domino is the only way to finish it cleanly.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough
- 1.Anchor the board with the three exact-number zones that have no flexibility: navy (5), purple (0), and purple (2). Place the 5/0 domino vertically so the 5 lands in navy (5) and the 0 lands in purple (0). Then place the 1/2 domino vertically with the 1 in pink (>0) and the 2 in purple (2). These placements are locked and constrain every subsequent decision.
- 2.Place the 1/6 domino horizontally in the purple (7) zone. The 1 and 6 sum to 7. This feels straightforward, but note that the 6 is now used -- you have limited 6s remaining for the inequality zones.
- 3.Place the 4/6 domino horizontally across pink (4) and teal (7). The 4 satisfies pink's exact-number condition. The 6 goes into teal -- start tracking: teal now has 6 toward its target of 7.
- 4.Place the 2/5 domino vertically in orange (2) and pink (5). Both exact-number conditions are satisfied by the individual pips. The 5 is now used, which matters for the inequality zones.
- 5.Place the 0/0 domino vertically in green (0) and the uncolored zone. This is the only domino that can satisfy a zero condition. No flexibility here.
- 6.Place the 1/4 domino horizontally in teal (7) and orange (4). Teal now has 6 + 1 = 7. The teal (7) zone is satisfied. The 4 satisfies orange's exact requirement.
- 7.Place the 6/5 domino vertically in navy (>4) and teal (7). Both pips (6 and 5) exceed 4, satisfying the navy inequality. The 6 goes into the second teal zone -- running total: 6 toward 7.
- 8.Place the 2/6 domino vertically in teal (7) and pink (>4). The 6 exceeds 4 for pink's inequality. Teal now has 6 + 6 = 12. But teal needs exactly 7. This means one of your earlier teal assumptions is wrong -- recheck. Actually, the teal (7) zones are separate grid regions, each independently needing a total of 7. The 6 from step 7 goes into one teal zone. The 6 from step 3 went into a different teal zone. The 1 from step 6 completes the first teal zone at 7. The 6 from step 7 needs a 1 partner to reach 7 in the second teal zone.
- 9.Place the 5/3 domino vertically in navy (7) and green (=). The 5 and 3 sum to 7 for navy. The 3 establishes the value for all green (=) zones.
- 10.Place the 2/4 domino horizontally in navy (7) and green (4). The 2 adds to navy's total. The 4 satisfies green's exact-number condition.
- 11.Place the 3/1 domino horizontally in green (=) and orange (7). The 3 matches the green (=) value of 3. The 1 starts building orange's total of 7.
- 12.Place the 3/3 domino vertically in green (=). Double-3 satisfies the green (=) condition across the third green zone.
- 13.Place the 4/4 domino horizontally in teal (4) and orange (4). Both zones need exactly 4.
- 14.Place the 6/0 domino vertically in orange (7) and the uncolored zone. The 6 brings orange's total to exactly 7 (1 from step 11 + 6 = 7).
Hard Pips Solution
Last chance to solve independently
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- 1.Place the 5/0 domino vertically in the navy (5) zone and purple (0) zone
- 2.Place the 1/2 domino vertically in the pink (>0) zone and purple (2) zone
- 3.Place the 1/6 domino horizontally in the purple (7) zone
- 4.Place the 4/6 domino horizontally in the pink (4) zone and teal (7) zone
- 5.Place the 2/5 domino vertically in the orange (2) zone and pink (5) zone
- 6.Place the 0/0 domino vertically in the green (0) zone and uncolored (no condition) zone
- 7.Place the 1/4 domino horizontally in the teal (7) zone and orange (4) zone
- 8.Place the 6/5 domino vertically in the navy (>4) zone and teal (7) zone
- 9.Place the 2/6 domino vertically in the teal (7) zone and pink (>4) zone
- 10.Place the 5/3 domino vertically in the navy (7) zone and green (=) zone
- 11.Place the 2/4 domino horizontally in the navy (7) zone and green (4) zone
- 12.Place the 3/1 domino horizontally in the green (=) zone and orange (7) zone
- 13.Place the 3/3 domino vertically in the green (=) zone
- 14.Place the 4/4 domino horizontally in the teal (4) zone and orange (4) zone
- 15.Place the 6/0 domino vertically in the orange (7) zone and uncolored (no condition) zone
Puzzle Debrief
Overall Difficulty: Moderate challenge. The zone layout is identical across all three tiers today, but the difference comes in grid complexity and the number of dominoes. The core logic is consistent -- exact-number zones anchor the board, inequality zones consume high-value pips, and the green (=) condition ties everything together.
Trickiest Puzzle: Hard - The teal (7) zones appear in three separate grid locations, each needing a total of exactly 7. Tracking which pips go where across multiple zones is the primary challenge. One miscount and the entire solution unravels. The pink (>4) inequality zone adds pressure by consuming your 5s and 6s early.
Our Take: Today's set is a solid Saturday workout. The zone layout rewards players who start with exact-number anchors and work outward to inequalities. The green (=) condition is the cleverest constraint -- it forces you to pick a value that works across three zones without breaking anything else. If you solved all three, you earned the holiday.
Tomorrow's Pips drops at midnight. See you then.
