Sunday brings a fresh set of NYT Pips puzzles. Today's set delivers a solid mid-range challenge with interesting zone math across all three difficulties. The equal-sign zones and exact-number requirements create satisfying logical chains that reward methodical placement. 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: Exact-sum zones are your entry points. Navy (5) and green (0) are the most constrained - each has only one possible domino combination. Lock these in first.
Key Insight: The equal-sign zones (pink and teal) impose uniformity across multiple placements. The pink zone's common value must align with the green (4) zone's sum requirement. This creates a dependency chain that propagates through the entire grid.
Watch Out For: The orange (≠) zone at the end can trap you if you've already used dominoes with duplicate values elsewhere. Reserve dominoes with unique pip combinations for this zone. The 1/2, 0/3, and 1/5 dominoes are your only valid options here.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough
- 1.Start with the most constrained zone: navy (5). This exact-sum zone requires dominoes whose pips total 5. Only the 1/4 domino qualifies. Place it vertically to secure this anchor point.
- 2.Next, green (0) is the most restrictive zone in the entire puzzle. Only the 0/0 domino sums to 0. Place it vertically here immediately.
- 3.Now examine the pink (=) zone. This equal-sign zone requires every domino within it to have matching pip values. The pink zone shares a boundary with green (4), meaning the domino spanning these two zones must have equal pips that also satisfy green's sum of 4. The 2/2 domino is the only candidate. Place it vertically across pink (=) and green (4).
- 4.The teal (10) zone needs dominoes totaling 10. Place the 5/5 domino vertically here. This also satisfies the teal (=) condition since 5/5 has equal pips.
- 5.Purple (6) is another exact-sum zone. Place the 6/0 domino vertically here.
- 6.Orange (9) needs dominoes summing to 9. Place the 4/5 domino vertically here.
- 7.Navy (10) needs dominoes totaling 10. Place the 6/4 domino vertically here.
- 8.The teal (=) zone now needs one more domino with equal pips. The remaining 3/3 and 6/6 dominoes both qualify. Place the 3/3 vertically in the teal (=) zone.
- 9.Place the 6/6 domino vertically in the teal (=) zone as well.
- 10.Finally, address the orange (≠) zone. This not-equal zone requires all pips to be different. The remaining dominoes are 1/2, 0/3, and 1/5. Place each vertically in this zone, verifying that no two dominoes share a pip value.
Hard Pips Solution
Last chance to solve independently
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- 1.Place the 1/4 domino vertically in the navy (5) zone
- 2.Place the 0/0 domino vertically in the green (0) zone
- 3.Place the 2/2 domino vertically in the pink (=) zone and green (4) zone
- 4.Place the 5/5 domino vertically in the teal (10) zone
- 5.Place the 6/0 domino vertically in the purple (6) zone
- 6.Place the 4/5 domino vertically in the orange (9) zone
- 7.Place the 6/4 domino vertically in the navy (10) zone
- 8.Place the 3/3 domino vertically in the teal (=) zone
- 9.Place the 6/6 domino vertically in the teal (=) zone
- 10.Place the 1/2 domino vertically in the orange (≠) zone
- 11.Place the 0/3 domino vertically in the orange (≠) zone
- 12.Place the 1/5 domino vertically in the orange (≠) zone
Puzzle Debrief
Overall Difficulty: Moderate challenge across all three tiers. The identical zone configurations mean the same logical principles apply regardless of difficulty label, but the Hard puzzle demands more careful sequencing.
Trickiest Puzzle: Hard - The dependency chain between pink (=), green (4), and the surrounding exact-sum zones creates a web of constraints that rewards careful planning. Misplacing the 2/2 domino early can cascade into a dead end.
Our Take: Today's set is a masterclass in constraint propagation. The exact-sum zones act as natural anchors, but the equal-sign zones are where the real logic lives. Sunday's puzzles lean more toward systematic deduction than brute force, which makes them satisfying to crack. If you solved Hard without hints, you earned it.
Tomorrow's Pips drops at midnight. See you then.
