Sunday brings a fresh set of NYT Pips puzzles. This week's lineup delivers a consistent challenge across all three tiers, with the navy (18) sum zone acting as the central constraint that ties each board together. 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: Lock down the equal-condition zones first. Purple (3), pink (5), teal (0), and green (0) are non-negotiable -- any domino entering these zones must match the required pip value exactly.
Key Insight: The navy (18) zone is the hardest constraint to satisfy. With four dominoes contributing to this sum, you need to distribute exactly 18 pips across them. Track your running total carefully.
Watch Out For: The multiple purple (3) and teal (0) zones are easy to confuse. Each is a separate equal-condition zone -- you cannot reuse a domino across two of the same color. Keep track of which zones are already filled.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough
- 1.Begin with the equal-condition purple (3) zones. There are three of them. The first purple (3) zone pairs with navy (2). Place the 3/2 domino vertically so the 3 pip satisfies purple (3) and the 2 lands in navy (2).
- 2.The second purple (3) zone connects to navy (18). Place the 3/6 domino horizontally so the 3 satisfies the equal condition and the 6 feeds into the navy sum zone.
- 3.The third purple (3) zone connects to navy (5). Place the 3/5 domino vertically so the 3 satisfies the equal condition and the 5 lands in navy (5).
- 4.Now the pink (5) zone. Only one pink (5) equal zone exists. Place the 5/4 domino vertically so the 5 satisfies the condition and the 4 drops into green (4).
- 5.Work the teal (0) zones. There are three teal (0) zones. Place the 0/2 domino horizontally in the first teal (0) zone paired with orange (2). Place the 0/3 domino vertically in the second teal (0) zone paired with pink (3). Place the 0/1 domino vertically in the third teal (0) zone paired with pink (1).
- 6.Handle the green (0) equal zone. Place the 4/0 domino horizontally so the 0 satisfies green (0) and the 4 lands in navy (4).
- 7.Now tackle the navy (18) sum zone. You need exactly 18 total pips. You already have the 6 from step 2. Add the 4/3 domino vertically so the 3 goes to navy (18) and the 4 goes to purple (4) -- running total: 9. Add the 2/5 domino vertically so the 5 goes to navy (18) and the 2 goes to pink (2) -- running total: 14. Add the 4/1 domino vertically so the 4 goes to navy (18) and the 1 goes to green (1) -- running total: 18. Perfect.
- 8.Fill the remaining zones. Place 5/1 horizontally in teal (5) and orange (1). Place 0/5 vertically in orange (0) and teal (5). Place 1/2 horizontally in green (1) and purple (2). Place 1/3 vertically in orange (1) and pink (3). Place 2/4 horizontally in teal (2) and orange (4).
Hard Pips Solution
Last chance to solve independently
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- 1.Place the 3/2 domino vertically in the purple (3) zone and navy (2) zone
- 2.Place the 3/6 domino horizontally in the purple (3) zone and navy (18) zone
- 3.Place the 3/5 domino vertically in the purple (3) zone and navy (5) zone
- 4.Place the 5/4 domino vertically in the pink (5) zone and green (4) zone
- 5.Place the 0/2 domino horizontally in the teal (0) zone and orange (2) zone
- 6.Place the 0/3 domino vertically in the green (0) zone and pink (3) zone
- 7.Place the 0/1 domino vertically in the teal (0) zone and pink (1) zone
- 8.Place the 4/0 domino horizontally in the navy (4) zone and green (0) zone
- 9.Place the 4/3 domino vertically in the purple (4) zone and navy (18) zone
- 10.Place the 2/5 domino vertically in the pink (2) zone and navy (18) zone
- 11.Place the 4/1 domino vertically in the navy (18) zone and green (1) zone
- 12.Place the 5/1 domino horizontally in the teal (5) zone and orange (1) zone
- 13.Place the 0/5 domino vertically in the orange (0) zone and teal (5) zone
- 14.Place the 1/2 domino horizontally in the green (1) zone and purple (2) zone
- 15.Place the 1/3 domino vertically in the orange (1) zone and pink (3) zone
- 16.Place the 2/4 domino horizontally in the teal (2) zone and orange (4) zone
Puzzle Debrief
Overall Difficulty: Moderate challenge. The equal-condition zones make the Easy puzzle straightforward, but the navy (18) sum zone requires careful arithmetic across all three tiers.
Trickiest Puzzle: Hard - The multiple purple (3) and teal (0) equal zones create a maze of identical conditions. It is easy to accidentally double-assign a domino or lose track of which zone is which. The navy (18) sum zone compounds this by demanding precise pip totals across four dominoes.
Our Take: Today's set rewards players who methodically solve the equal-condition zones first. The navy (18) sum zone is the real puzzle here -- it forces you to think ahead about pip distribution rather than placing dominoes reactively. Solid Sunday workout for the brain.
Tomorrow's Pips drops at midnight. See you then.
