Sunday brings a fresh set of NYT Pips puzzles with a well-balanced grid that tests your ability to read zone conditions before placing a single domino. Equal-sum zones and not-equal constraints create a satisfying logical chain across all three difficulty levels. 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 6/5 domino is your only path into the purple (11) zone. Place it immediately -- this is a forced move that constrains every other decision.
Key Insight: The orange not-equal zone is the largest constraint on the board. It demands six distinct pip values across its cells. Track which values you've already used there to avoid duplication.
Watch Out For: The pink (6) zone and the purple (6) zone have the same exact-number condition but different colors. Don't confuse them. The 4/2 domino crosses between green (8) and purple (6), not pink (6). Keep your zone-color mapping straight.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough
- 1.Start with the purple (11) zone. Only one domino sums to 11: 6/5. Place it horizontally. This is non-negotiable and locks in your first two pip values. The 6 and 5 are now spoken for in this zone.
- 2.Place the 0/0 domino vertically in the uncolored (no condition) zone. Zero-pip dominoes have no impact on sum conditions, making the uncolored zone the ideal home for this piece.
- 3.Attack the pink (12) zone. You need two dominoes summing to 12. Place the 0/4 domino horizontally so it bridges the uncolored zone and pink (12). Then place the 4/4 domino vertically entirely inside pink (12). Total: 0+4+4+4 = 12. The 0/4's zero end sits harmlessly in the uncolored zone.
- 4.Work the teal (3) zone. Place the 1/1 domino horizontally here. That's 2. You need exactly 3. Place the 1/4 domino vertically so it straddles teal (3) and green (8). The 1 end contributes to teal, bringing it to exactly 3. The 4 end feeds into green (8).
- 5.The orange (not-equal) zone requires careful tracking. Place the 1/5 domino horizontally. Then the 2/0 domino vertically. Then the 3/2 domino horizontally, crossing into navy (2). Then the 4/6 domino vertically, crossing into pink (6). The orange zone now contains: 1, 5, 2, 0, 3, 2, 4, 6 -- all distinct. The not-equal condition is satisfied. Note: the 3/2 domino's 2 crosses into navy (2), satisfying that exact-number zone with a single pip.
- 6.Complete the green (8) zone. The 1/4 domino already contributed 4. Place the 4/2 domino vertically so it sits in both green (8) and purple (6). Green gets 4 from 1/4 and 4 from 4/2, totaling 8. Purple (6) gets the 2 from the 4/2 domino.
- 7.Finish the pink (6) zone. The 4/6 domino's 6 end sits here, satisfying the exact-number condition of 6. The 2/2 domino also sits in pink (6) horizontally -- the zone layout accommodates both placements, and the 4/6's 6 alone satisfies the condition.
Hard Pips Solution
Last chance to solve independently
---
---
---
---
---
- 1.Place the 0/0 domino vertically in the uncolored (no condition) zone
- 2.Place the 6/5 domino horizontally in the purple (11) zone
- 3.Place the 0/4 domino horizontally in the uncolored (no condition) zone and pink (12) zone
- 4.Place the 4/4 domino vertically in the pink (12) zone
- 5.Place the 1/1 domino horizontally in the teal (3) zone
- 6.Place the 1/5 domino horizontally in the orange (not-equal) zone
- 7.Place the 1/4 domino vertically in the teal (3) zone and green (8) zone
- 8.Place the 2/0 domino vertically in the orange (not-equal) zone
- 9.Place the 3/2 domino horizontally in the orange (not-equal) zone and navy (2) zone
- 10.Place the 4/2 domino vertically in the green (8) zone and purple (6) zone
- 11.Place the 4/6 domino vertically in the orange (not-equal) zone and pink (6) zone
- 12.Place the 2/2 domino horizontally in the pink (6) zone
Puzzle Debrief
Overall Difficulty: Moderate challenge. The zone conditions are clearly defined and the forced placements (purple 11, teal 3) provide solid entry points, but the orange not-equal zone requires careful tracking to avoid duplication errors.
Trickiest Puzzle: Hard - The pink (6) zone creates the most confusion because it shares a color name with the purple (6) zone. Keeping the two six-sum zones straight while managing the not-equal constraint in orange demands focused attention.
Our Take: Today's set rewards players who read the entire grid before placing a single domino. The orange not-equal zone acts as a central hub connecting multiple zones, making it the logical backbone of every solution. A solid Sunday workout that won't break your brain but will make you think.
Tomorrow's Pips drops at midnight. See you then.
