Saturday brings a fresh set of NYT Pips puzzles. Today's lineup features a consistent grid across all three difficulty levels, with heavy emphasis on exact-number zones and equal-value constraints that reward methodical placement over guesswork. 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 equal-value zones are your anchors. Purple (=), green (=), and teal (=) each force identical pip values, which dramatically limits where high-value doubles like 6/6 and 4/4 can go.
Key Insight: The pink zone is split across three separate exact-number requirements (2, 4, and 6). This creates a tight constraint web. Once you place one pink domino, the others fall into place quickly because the remaining totals are highly restricted.
Watch Out For: The navy zone appears three times with different conditions (>2, 6, and 2). It's easy to confuse them. Double-check which navy zone you're placing into and verify you're meeting the right condition before locking in.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough
- 1.Begin with the purple (=) zone, the most constrained region on the board. Place the 0/4 domino horizontally so the 0 sits in the adjacent uncolored zone and the 4 enters the purple zone. Then place the 4/4 domino vertically directly in the purple zone. Both pips are 4, satisfying the equal-value requirement. This also uses the only double-four on the board, which can't go anywhere else.
- 2.Place the 6/6 domino vertically in the green (=) zone. The double-six is the only domino with matching sixes, and the green equal-value zone is its only valid home. Lock this in early to avoid dead ends later.
- 3.Address the pink (2) and navy (>2) zones. Place the 2/4 domino vertically so the 2 lands in the pink zone (exact requirement met) and the 4 lands in the navy zone (greater than 2, satisfied). This is the only domino that can bridge these two zones with the right values.
- 4.Place the 5/0 domino horizontally across the teal (>3) and orange (<3) zones. The 5 clears the greater-than-3 threshold while the 0 stays under 3. These zones are adjacent, so the horizontal placement is mandatory.
- 5.Place the 3/5 domino vertically in the purple (8) zone. The sum of 3 and 5 equals 8, matching the exact-number condition. This domino works because neither 3 nor 5 is available in any other zone's requirement at this stage.
- 6.Place the 0/1 domino horizontally in the orange (<3) zone. Both values are under 3, satisfying the condition. This completes the less-than constraints in the orange zones.
- 7.Place the 3/1 domino horizontally in the pink (4) zone. The sum of 3 and 1 equals 4, meeting the exact-number requirement. With pink (2) already placed, you now have two of the three pink zones locked.
- 8.Place the 3/6 domino vertically spanning the pink (6) and navy (6) zones. The 3 goes into the pink zone, contributing to the running total, and the 6 satisfies navy's exact-6 requirement. This is the critical placement that connects the remaining pink and navy constraints.
- 9.Place the 3/2 domino horizontally in the pink (6) and teal (2) zones. The 3 completes the pink total of 6 (along with the 3 from the previous domino) and the 2 satisfies teal's exact-2 requirement.
- 10.Place the 1/2 domino vertically in the green (1) and teal (=) zones. The 1 meets green's exact-1 requirement. The 2 enters the teal equal-value zone, which will need the 2/2 domino to complete.
- 11.Place the 0/2 domino horizontally in the uncolored zone and purple (2) zone. The 0 goes into the free space and the 2 satisfies purple's exact-2 requirement.
- 12.Place the 2/2 domino horizontally in the teal (=) zone. Both pips are 2, completing the equal-value condition. This domino must go in the teal zone because no other zone accepts matching twos.
- 13.Place the 6/2 domino vertically in the orange (6) and navy (2) zones. The 6 satisfies orange's exact-6 requirement and the 2 satisfies navy's exact-2 condition. All zones are now satisfied.
Hard Pips Solution
Last chance to solve independently
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- 1.Place the 2/4 domino vertically in the pink (2) zone and navy (>2) zone
- 2.Place the 0/4 domino horizontally in the uncolored (no condition) zone and purple (=) zone
- 3.Place the 4/4 domino vertically in the purple (=) zone
- 4.Place the 5/0 domino horizontally in the teal (>3) zone and orange (<3) zone
- 5.Place the 6/6 domino vertically in the green (=) zone
- 6.Place the 3/5 domino vertically in the purple (8) zone
- 7.Place the 0/1 domino horizontally in the orange (<3) zone
- 8.Place the 3/1 domino horizontally in the pink (4) zone
- 9.Place the 3/6 domino vertically in the pink (6) zone and navy (6) zone
- 10.Place the 3/2 domino horizontally in the pink (6) zone and teal (2) zone
- 11.Place the 1/2 domino vertically in the green (1) zone and teal (=) zone
- 12.Place the 0/2 domino horizontally in the uncolored (no condition) zone and purple (2) zone
- 13.Place the 2/2 domino horizontally in the teal (=) zone
- 14.Place the 6/2 domino vertically in the orange (6) zone and navy (2) zone
Puzzle Debrief
Overall Difficulty: Moderate challenge. The grid is identical across all three difficulty levels, which means today's challenge is more about precision than complexity. The equal-value and exact-number zones create a logical web that rewards careful deduction over brute force.
Trickiest Puzzle: Hard - The pink zone split across three separate exact-number requirements (2, 4, and 6) creates the most pressure. Misplace one domino there and you'll cascade into violations across the navy and teal zones. The navy zone's three different conditions (>2, 6, 2) add another layer of potential confusion.
Our Take: Saturday's set is a solid mid-range challenge that tests your ability to read zone constraints and work methodically. The equal-value zones are the key to unlocking everything -- place those correctly and the rest of the grid resolves with satisfying logic. A clean, well-constructed puzzle that rewards patience over speed.
Tomorrow's Pips drops at midnight. See you then.
