Saturday brings a fresh set of NYT Pips puzzles. Today's lineup serves a consistent grid layout across all three difficulties, with heavy emphasis on exact-value zones and greater-than conditions. The same 26-zone configuration appears in Easy, Medium, and Hard, but the strategic approach shifts as the constraints tighten. 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 purple (>3) zone is your most restrictive condition. Only the 5/4 and 6/5 dominoes can satisfy it. Lock that placement first to constrain the rest of the puzzle.
Key Insight: Count your exact-number zones. There are 22 colored zones with exact-value or greater-than conditions, and only 4 uncolored free spaces. Every domino with two exact matches is precious -- don't waste them in uncolored zones.
Watch Out For: The navy (0) zones appear twice. The 0/4 and 0/5 dominoes both carry a 0, but the 6/0 also has a 0. Misassigning these is the most common trap -- verify which 0 domino goes where before committing.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough
- 1.The purple (>3) zone is the hardest constraint. It requires a domino where both ends exceed 3 -- only 5/4 or 6/5 work. Place the 5/4 domino horizontally, bridging purple (>3) with pink (4). This solves two zones at once: purple's greater-than condition and pink's exact 4.
- 2.Move to the teal (3) and orange (0) zones. The 3/0 domino is the only piece that fits both exactly. Place it horizontally to lock in these two zones.
- 3.Work the left column vertically. The navy (0) zone pairs with green (4). Place the 0/4 domino vertically. The 0 satisfies navy's zero condition; the 4 hits green's exact target.
- 4.Below that, the green (>1) zone meets purple (4). The 3/4 domino works vertically here. Both values exceed 1 on the green side, and the purple side lands on exactly 4.
- 5.The pink (3) and teal (2) zones are an exact-match pair. Place the 3/2 domino vertically.
- 6.Next vertical pair: teal (0) and orange (5). The 0/5 domino fits exactly. Place it vertically.
- 7.Now use an uncolored zone strategically. The 6/0 domino goes horizontally, with the 0 in the navy (0) zone and the 6 in free space. This is the only way to satisfy that second navy (0) without wasting a better domino.
- 8.The pink (4) and teal (6) zones are both exact-number zones. Place the 4/6 domino vertically. Both sides match perfectly.
- 9.Another uncolored zone comes into play. The teal (5) zone pairs with a free space. Place the 5/3 domino vertically, with the 5 in teal and the 3 in the uncolored zone.
- 10.The navy (3) and orange (1) zones take the 3/1 domino vertically. Both exact matches.
- 11.Place the 2/1 domino horizontally in green (2) and purple (1). Both sides hit their exact targets.
- 12.The navy (5) and green (1) zones get the 5/1 domino horizontally. Exact matches.
- 13.The 6/2 domino goes vertically, with the 2 in purple (2) and the 6 in an uncolored zone. The 2 satisfies purple's condition.
- 14.Place the 4/1 domino horizontally in navy (4) and an uncolored zone. The 4 hits navy's requirement.
- 15.Close out the puzzle with the 5/2 domino horizontally in purple (5) and pink (2). Both exact matches -- check that all 15 dominoes are placed and every condition is met.
Hard Pips Solution
Last chance to solve independently
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- 1.Place the 5/4 domino horizontally in the purple (>3) zone and pink (4) zone
- 2.Place the 3/0 domino horizontally in the teal (3) zone and orange (0) zone
- 3.Place the 0/4 domino vertically in the navy (0) zone and green (4) zone
- 4.Place the 3/4 domino vertically in the green (>1) zone and purple (4) zone
- 5.Place the 3/2 domino vertically in the pink (3) zone and teal (2) zone
- 6.Place the 0/5 domino vertically in the teal (0) zone and orange (5) zone
- 7.Place the 6/0 domino horizontally in the uncolored (no condition) zone and navy (0) zone
- 8.Place the 4/6 domino vertically in the pink (4) zone and teal (6) zone
- 9.Place the 5/3 domino vertically in the teal (5) zone and uncolored (no condition) zone
- 10.Place the 3/1 domino vertically in the navy (3) zone and orange (1) zone
- 11.Place the 2/1 domino horizontally in the green (2) zone and purple (1) zone
- 12.Place the 5/1 domino horizontally in the navy (5) zone and green (1) zone
- 13.Place the 6/2 domino vertically in the uncolored (no condition) zone and purple (2) zone
- 14.Place the 4/1 domino horizontally in the navy (4) zone and uncolored (no condition) zone
- 15.Place the 5/2 domino horizontally in the purple (5) zone and pink (2) zone
Puzzle Debrief
Overall Difficulty: Moderate challenge across the board. The grid layout is identical for all three difficulties, which is unusual. The difference comes down to how much guidance you get -- Easy practically hands you the pairings, Medium asks you to find them, and Hard forces you to manage the uncolored zones carefully.
Trickiest Puzzle: Hard - even though the solution is the same as Easy and Medium, the lack of hints combined with the two navy (0) zones creates a real trap. Novice players will likely burn their 6/0 domino in the wrong spot and hit a dead end.
Our Take: Today's identical grid across all difficulties is a smart design choice. It lets you practice the same spatial logic three times, each with less scaffolding. The puzzle rewards players who systematically identify the most constrained zones first and work outward. A solid Saturday workout for domino logic.
Tomorrow's Pips drops at midnight. See you then.
