Saturday brings a fresh set of NYT Pips puzzles that lean heavily on exact-number constraints and equality conditions. With the same board layout across all three difficulties, the challenge shifts from figuring out the grid to managing increasingly tight arithmetic. 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 orange (=) zone with constant 0 is your most constrained starting point. Three dominoes feed into this zone, all requiring a 0 pip, so lock that constant in immediately.
Key Insight: The green (≠) zone is the most complex constraint on the board. With five dominoes contributing to it, you need to track six distinct pip values across the entire zone. Plan your placements to avoid collisions.
Watch Out For: The pink (<3) zone has a tight constraint. Both pips in the zone must be under 3, meaning only values 0, 1, or 2 are allowed. The 4/2 domino works because the 4 goes into the adjacent purple (4) zone while the 2 satisfies the pink condition. Make sure you don't accidentally drop a high-value pip into this zone.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough
- 1.Place the 0/0 domino vertically in the orange (=) zone. This sets the zone constant to 0. Every subsequent placement in the orange (=) zone must include a 0 pip.
- 2.Place the 1/4 domino vertically in the purple (1) zone and pink (9) zone. The 1 satisfies the purple exact-number condition. The 4 begins building the pink total.
- 3.Place the 5/0 domino vertically in the pink (9) zone and navy (<2) zone. The 5 brings the pink total to 9 (4 + 5). The 0 is under 2, satisfying the navy condition.
- 4.Place the 6/0 domino vertically in the green (≠) zone and orange (=) zone. The 6 enters the green zone as the first distinct value. The 0 matches the orange constant.
- 5.Place the 2/6 domino vertically in the green (<3) zone and pink (=) zone. Both 2 and 6 are under 3, satisfying the green condition. The 6 establishes the pink (=) zone constant.
- 6.Place the 6/1 domino vertically in the pink (=) zone and green (1) zone. The 6 matches the pink constant. The 1 satisfies the green exact-number condition.
- 7.Place the 2/3 domino vertically in the teal (2) zone and the uncolored zone. The 2 satisfies the teal exact-number condition. The uncolored zone accepts any value.
- 8.Place the 2/5 domino vertically in the green (≠) zone. This adds 2 and 5 to the green zone. Now the green (≠) zone contains 6, 2, 5, all distinct so far.
- 9.Place the 0/2 domino vertically in the orange (=) zone and navy (2) zone. The 0 matches the orange constant. The 2 satisfies the navy exact-number condition.
- 10.Place the 3/4 domino vertically in the orange (3) zone and green (≠) zone. The 3 satisfies the orange condition. The 4 enters the green zone, distinct from the existing 6, 2, and 5.
- 11.Place the 3/0 domino vertically in the green (≠) zone and orange (=) zone. The 0 matches the orange constant. The 3 enters the green zone, now the zone contains 6, 2, 5, 4, 3, all distinct.
- 12.Place the 6/3 domino vertically in the uncolored zone and teal (3) zone. The 3 satisfies the teal exact-number condition.
- 13.Place the 4/2 domino vertically in the purple (4) zone and pink (<3) zone. The 4 satisfies the purple condition. The 2 is under 3, satisfying the pink constraint. Critical: the 4 pip stays in the purple zone, not the pink zone.
- 14.Place the 0/4 domino vertically in the orange (=) zone and purple (4) zone. The 0 matches the orange constant. The 4 satisfies the purple condition.
- 15.Place the 5/5 domino vertically in the teal (5) zone and navy (5) zone. Both sides total exactly 5, satisfying both zones simultaneously.
Hard Pips Solution
Last chance to solve independently
---
---
---
---
---
- 1.Place the 1/4 domino vertically in the purple (1) zone and pink (9) zone
- 2.Place the 5/0 domino vertically in the pink (9) zone and navy (<2) zone
- 3.Place the 6/0 domino vertically in the green (≠) zone and orange (=) zone
- 4.Place the 2/6 domino vertically in the green (<3) zone and pink (=) zone
- 5.Place the 6/1 domino vertically in the pink (=) zone and green (1) zone
- 6.Place the 2/3 domino vertically in the teal (2) zone and uncolored (no condition) zone
- 7.Place the 2/5 domino vertically in the green (≠) zone
- 8.Place the 0/0 domino vertically in the orange (=) zone
- 9.Place the 0/2 domino vertically in the orange (=) zone and navy (2) zone
- 10.Place the 3/4 domino vertically in the orange (3) zone and green (≠) zone
- 11.Place the 3/0 domino vertically in the green (≠) zone and orange (=) zone
- 12.Place the 6/3 domino vertically in the uncolored (no condition) zone and teal (3) zone
- 13.Place the 4/2 domino vertically in the purple (4) zone and pink (<3) zone
- 14.Place the 0/4 domino vertically in the orange (=) zone and purple (4) zone
- 15.Place the 5/5 domino vertically in the teal (5) zone and navy (5) zone
Puzzle Debrief
Overall Difficulty: Moderate challenge across all three levels. The zone conditions are balanced and the board layout is consistent, so the difficulty progression comes from tighter arithmetic tracking rather than new mechanics.
Trickiest Puzzle: Hard - The green (≠) zone is the standout constraint. With five dominoes feeding six distinct pip values into a single zone, one misstep creates a duplicate that forces a full restart. The pink (<3) zone is also easy to misplace if you forget which pip lands in which zone.
Our Take: Today's set rewards methodical zone-by-zone thinking. The orange (=) and green (≠) zones act as the board's two pillars, and every other placement connects back to them. A clean Saturday puzzle that tests your ability to track multiple constraints simultaneously without overwhelming you.
Tomorrow's Pips drops at midnight. See you then.
