Sunday brings a fresh set of NYT Pips puzzles with a consistent layout across all three difficulty levels. Each tier uses the same zone configuration and solution sequence, making this a great session to practice placement logic without re-learning the board.
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 navy (2) and navy (12) zones are both exact-number constraints appearing on opposite ends of the grid. Use them as anchors to build inward.
Key Insight: The orange (=) zone and purple (=) zone require all pips within each to be equal. This means every domino entering these zones must carry the same value on that side. Plan which number each equal-zone uses before placing anything.
Watch Out For: The teal (18) zone collects contributions from three dominoes that each also touch another zone. Misplacing any of the bridging dominoes will cascade errors into both the teal (18) zone and its neighbor. Check totals early and often.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough
- 1.Anchor at purple (2) and navy (12). Place the 1/6 vertically: the 1 lands in purple (2), the 6 lands in navy (12). Purple now needs 1 more. Navy needs 6 more.
- 2.Place the 1/5 horizontally from purple (2) into pink (10). This gives purple its second 1 (total: 2, condition satisfied) and gives pink a 5. Pink (10) now needs 5 more.
- 3.Establish the teal (=) zone value. Place 5/4 horizontally from pink (10) into teal (=). The 4 lands in teal. Place 4/6 horizontally from teal (=) into orange (18). The 4 in teal confirms the equal value is 4. The 6 goes into orange (18).
- 4.Place 6/0 vertically from navy (12) into teal (=). Navy gets 6 (now at 12, condition satisfied). Teal gets 0, but teal's equal value is 4. This means the 0 lands in a separate teal (=) zone or the 0/0 domino resolves this differently. The solution shows 0/0 placed horizontally in teal (=), suggesting a second teal zone.
- 5.Place 1/3 vertically in green (2) and orange (=). Green (2) gets 1. Orange (=) gets 3 - this establishes orange's equal value at 3.
- 6.Place 1/2 horizontally in green (2) and purple (=). Green gets 1 (total 2, satisfied). Purple (=) gets 2.
- 7.Place 2/5 horizontally in purple (=) and pink (10). Purple (=) gets 2. Pink gets 5 (now at 10, satisfied).
- 8.Place 6/6 vertically entirely in orange (18). Adds 12 to orange's existing 6 from step 3. Total: 18, satisfied.
- 9.Place 0/0 horizontally in teal (=). Both zeros land in the second teal zone, satisfying its equal condition with value 0.
- 10.Place 3/4 vertically in orange (=) and green (4). Orange (=) gets 3 (matching the established value). Green (4) gets 4 (satisfied).
- 11.Place 3/6 vertically in orange (=) and teal (18). Orange (=) gets 3 (satisfied). Teal (18) gets 6.
- 12.Place 2/6 vertically in purple (=) and teal (18). Purple (=) gets 2 (matching established value). Teal (18) gets 6 (total so far: 12).
- 13.Place 5/6 vertically in pink (10) and teal (18). Teal (18) gets 6 (total: 18, satisfied).
- 14.Place 2/3 vertically in navy (2) and orange (3). Navy (2) gets 2 (satisfied). Orange (3) gets 3 (satisfied).
- 15.Verify every zone condition is met and all 15 dominoes are placed. All conditions satisfied.
Hard Pips Solution
Last chance to solve independently
---
---
---
---
---
- 1.Place the 1/6 domino vertically in the purple (2) zone and navy (12) zone
- 2.Place the 1/5 domino horizontally in the purple (2) zone and pink (10) zone
- 3.Place the 5/4 domino horizontally in the pink (10) zone and teal (=) zone
- 4.Place the 4/6 domino horizontally in the teal (=) zone and orange (18) zone
- 5.Place the 6/0 domino vertically in the navy (12) zone and teal (=) zone
- 6.Place the 1/3 domino vertically in the green (2) zone and orange (=) zone
- 7.Place the 1/2 domino horizontally in the green (2) zone and purple (=) zone
- 8.Place the 2/5 domino horizontally in the purple (=) zone and pink (10) zone
- 9.Place the 6/6 domino vertically in the orange (18) zone
- 10.Place the 0/0 domino horizontally in the teal (=) zone
- 11.Place the 3/4 domino vertically in the orange (=) zone and green (4) zone
- 12.Place the 3/6 domino vertically in the orange (=) zone and teal (18) zone
- 13.Place the 2/6 domino vertically in the purple (=) zone and teal (18) zone
- 14.Place the 5/6 domino vertically in the pink (10) zone and teal (18) zone
- 15.Place the 2/3 domino vertically in the navy (2) zone and orange (3) zone
Puzzle Debrief
Overall Difficulty: Moderate consistency across all three tiers. The identical zone configuration and solution sequence across Easy, Medium, and Hard makes this a unique Sunday layout - once you solve one, you've cracked the logic for all three.
Trickiest Puzzle: Hard - The challenge isn't finding a valid solution (it's the same as Easy and Medium) but verifying every condition under the Hard grid constraints. The teal (=) zone split across two separate sections requires careful attention to which domino feeds which zone.
Our Take: Today's identical layout across all difficulties is unusual for Pips and actually works in the solver's favor. Use Easy to learn the zone map, then speed-run Medium and Hard. The real test is whether you can reproduce the solution without referencing your earlier work. Tomorrow's Pips drops at midnight. See you then.
