Sunday brings a fresh set of NYT Pips puzzles. Today's set features identical layouts across all difficulty levels, a rare symmetrical challenge that tests your domino placement strategy. 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 pink (<2) zone is your primary constraint, only dominoes with 0 or 1 pips can occupy it.
Key Insight: You need to solve the low-value zones first before tackling the higher-number zones.
Watch Out For: The dominoes that can satisfy multiple zone requirements simultaneously, these are your key pieces.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough
- 1.Analyze the board: pink (<2) zone accepts only 0 or 1 values, making it your starting constraint.
- 2.The 1/0 domino is critical, place it horizontally to cover both purple (2) and pink (<2) zones.
- 3.Next, the 0/2 domino connects pink (<2) to teal (5) horizontally, this establishes your low-value bridge.
- 4.The 1/2 domino works vertically to satisfy both purple (2) and navy (2) zones simultaneously.
- 5.Place the 0/0 domino vertically in the remaining pink (<2) zone space, this completes your low-value section.
- 6.The navy (2) zone needs completion, place the 0/6 domino vertically here.
- 7.The green (=) zone requires identical values, the 3/3 domino fits perfectly vertically.
- 8.Move to the higher-value zones: place the 6/4 domino vertically in the pink (8) zone.
- 9.Connect the pink (8) zone to the teal (4) zone with the 4/2 domino horizontally.
- 10.Complete the teal (4) zone with the 2/6 domino horizontally.
- 11.The purple (9) zone needs a domino, place the 3/6 domino vertically here.
- 12.Use the 1/6 domino vertically to connect the orange (5) and purple (9) zones.
- 13.Final placement: the 3/4 domino vertically completes both teal (5) and orange (5) zones.
Hard Pips Solution
Last chance to solve independently
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- 1.Place the 1/0 domino horizontally in the purple (2) zone and pink (<2) zone
- 2.Place the 0/2 domino horizontally in the pink (<2) zone and teal (5) zone
- 3.Place the 1/2 domino vertically in the purple (2) zone and navy (2) zone
- 4.Place the 0/0 domino vertically in the pink (<2) zone
- 5.Place the 0/6 domino vertically in the navy (2) zone
- 6.Place the 3/3 domino vertically in the green (=) zone
- 7.Place the 6/4 domino vertically in the pink (8) zone
- 8.Place the 4/2 domino horizontally in the pink (8) zone and teal (4) zone
- 9.Place the 2/6 domino horizontally in the teal (4) zone
- 10.Place the 3/6 domino vertically in the purple (9) zone
- 11.Place the 1/6 domino vertically in the orange (5) zone and purple (9) zone
- 12.Place the 3/4 domino vertically in the teal (5) zone and orange (5) zone
Puzzle Debrief
Overall Difficulty: Moderate challenge with identical layouts across all levels
Trickiest Puzzle: Hard - The identical layout means you're solving the same puzzle three times, requiring consistent strategy application.
Our Take: Today's symmetrical puzzle set is unusual, identical layouts across Easy, Medium, and Hard levels test your ability to apply the same solution strategy consistently. The pink (<2) zone serves as the primary constraint, forcing careful domino selection early. This design emphasizes constraint propagation and domino placement efficiency over complex layout variations.
Tomorrow's Pips drops at midnight. See you then.
