Saturday brings a fresh set of NYT Pips puzzles with a balanced mix of constraints across all three difficulties. Today's set leans into exact-number zones and equality conditions, making placement order critical. 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 (=) zone with three overlapping dominoes is your anchor. Solve this zone first and the rest of the board starts falling into place.
Key Insight: The navy (>8) zone can only accept the 6/6 domino since it is the only piece with a sum above 8. This forced placement cascades into the adjacent zones, so lock it in early.
Watch Out For: The orange (<3) zone is easy to overlook. It requires both pips to be less than 3, so only dominoes with values 0, 1, or 2 on both ends will work. The 0/3 domino fits because the 0 satisfies the condition and the 3 goes into the adjacent green (6) zone.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough
- 1.Start with the purple (=) zone. Place the 1/1 domino horizontally. This sets the zone constant to 1, which all subsequent purple (=) placements must match.
- 2.Place the 1/6 domino vertically in the purple (=) zone. The 1 end satisfies the purple constant while the 6 end enters the orange (12) zone, beginning to fill that total.
- 3.Place the 1/3 domino vertically in the purple (=) zone, with the 3 entering the navy (5) zone. The purple constant of 1 is maintained across all three dominoes.
- 4.Complete the orange (12) zone by placing the 6/2 domino horizontally. The 6 from step 2 plus the 6 on this domino total 12. The 2 also finishes the navy (5) zone (3 + 2 = 5).
- 5.Place the 4/0 domino horizontally in the green (=) zone to establish its constant value of 4.
- 6.Place the 0/0 domino horizontally in the pink (=) zone to set its constant value to 0.
- 7.Place the 3/4 domino vertically, bridging the teal (6) zone and green (=) zone. The 4 matches the green constant. The 3 plus the upcoming 3 in teal will total 6.
- 8.Place the 3/5 domino vertically in the teal (6) zone and purple (10) zone. The 3 completes the teal total (3 + 3 = 6). The 5 enters purple (10).
- 9.Place the 4/5 domino horizontally in the green (=) zone and purple (10) zone. The 4 matches the green constant. The 5 adds to the purple (10) total (5 + 5 = 10).
- 10.Place the 4/2 domino vertically in the green (=) zone and pink (4) zone. The 4 matches the green constant. The 2 enters pink (4).
- 11.Place the 4/4 domino vertically in the green (=) zone. Both 4s satisfy the green constant.
- 12.Place the 2/5 domino horizontally in the pink (4) zone and teal (5) zone. The 2 brings pink to its total of 4 (0 + 2 + 2 = 4). The 5 satisfies teal (5).
- 13.Place the 0/3 domino vertically in the orange (<3) zone and green (6) zone. The 0 is less than 3, satisfying the orange condition. The 3 enters green (6).
- 14.Place the 3/6 domino vertically in the green (6) zone and purple (6) zone. The 3 completes the green total (6). The 6 satisfies the purple (6) zone.
- 15.Place the 6/6 domino vertically in the navy (>8) zone. Sum of 12 is well above 8, satisfying the condition.
Hard Pips Solution
Last chance to solve independently
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- 1.Place the 1/1 domino horizontally in the purple (=) zone
- 2.Place the 1/6 domino vertically in the purple (=) zone and orange (12) zone
- 3.Place the 1/3 domino vertically in the purple (=) zone and navy (5) zone
- 4.Place the 6/2 domino horizontally in the orange (12) zone and navy (5) zone
- 5.Place the 4/0 domino horizontally in the green (=) zone
- 6.Place the 0/0 domino horizontally in the pink (=) zone
- 7.Place the 3/4 domino vertically in the teal (6) zone and green (=) zone
- 8.Place the 3/5 domino vertically in the teal (6) zone and purple (10) zone
- 9.Place the 4/5 domino horizontally in the green (=) zone and purple (10) zone
- 10.Place the 4/2 domino vertically in the green (=) zone and pink (4) zone
- 11.Place the 4/4 domino vertically in the green (=) zone
- 12.Place the 2/5 domino horizontally in the pink (4) zone and teal (5) zone
- 13.Place the 0/3 domino vertically in the orange (<3) zone and green (6) zone
- 14.Place the 3/6 domino vertically in the green (6) zone and purple (6) zone
- 15.Place the 6/6 domino vertically in the navy (>8) zone
Puzzle Debrief
Overall Difficulty: Moderate challenge across all three levels. The zone conditions are straightforward but the cross-zone domino placements require careful arithmetic tracking.
Trickiest Puzzle: Hard - The orange (<3) zone is the standout trap. With only one domino that satisfies both ends being less than 3 while also contributing to the adjacent green (6) zone, it is easy to misplace a domino here and have to backtrack.
Our Take: Today's set rewards players who start with the most constrained zones and work outward. The purple (=) zone anchors all three puzzles, and once you lock in that constant value, the rest of the board opens up methodically. A satisfying Saturday session.
Tomorrow's Pips drops at midnight. See you then.
