Thursday brings a fresh set of NYT Pips puzzles. Today's set features a classic progression from straightforward zone logic to complex multi-zone constraints. 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
Quick Hints (No Spoilers)
Starting Point: Begin with the teal zone requiring exactly 10 total pips - this gives you clear numerical constraints to work with.
Key Insight: The pink zone needs all equal values, which will force specific domino placements once you start filling adjacent zones.
Easy Pips Solution
Scroll past if you want to keep trying
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- 1.Place the 6/1 domino vertically in the purple (≠) zone
- 2.Place the 2/3 domino horizontally in the purple (≠) zone and pink (=) zone
- 3.Place the 0/5 domino vertically in the purple (≠) zone and teal (10) zone
- 4.Place the 3/3 domino vertically in the pink (=) zone
- 5.Place the 5/3 domino horizontally in the teal (10) zone and pink (=) zone
Today's Medium Pips
Quick Hints (No Spoilers)
Starting Point: Focus on the zones with exact number requirements first - purple (16), orange (12), and navy (9) provide clear numerical targets.
Key Insight: The pink (5) and teal (4) zones are adjacent and will share dominoes - plan their placements together.
Medium Pips Solution
Scroll past if you want to keep trying
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- 1.Place the 6/5 domino horizontally in the purple (16) zone
- 2.Place the 1/4 domino horizontally in the pink (5) zone and teal (4) zone
- 3.Place the 5/4 domino vertically in the purple (16) zone and navy (9) zone
- 4.Place the 2/3 domino vertically in the pink (5) zone and green (6) zone
- 5.Place the 2/0 domino vertically in the pink (5) zone and purple (1) zone
- 6.Place the 6/6 domino vertically in the orange (12) zone
- 7.Place the 5/3 domino horizontally in the navy (9) zone and green (6) zone
- 8.Place the 1/3 domino horizontally in the purple (1) zone and pink (3) zone
Today's Hard Pips
Quick Hints (No Spoilers)
Starting Point: Begin with the teal (<3) and orange (>8) zones - their inequality constraints eliminate many domino possibilities immediately.
Key Insight: The multiple purple "equal" zones require careful domino selection - you'll need matching-value dominoes in specific positions.
Watch Out For: The pink zones have varied requirements (4, 1, 7) and "not equal" conditions - don't accidentally violate these with adjacent placements.
Hard Pips Solution
Last chance to solve independently
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- 1.Place the 3/2 domino vertically in the teal (<3) zone
- 2.Place the 5/4 domino vertically in the orange (>8) zone
- 3.Place the 6/6 domino vertically in the purple (=) zone
- 4.Place the 4/6 domino vertically in the navy (>9) zone
- 5.Place the 4/2 domino vertically in the pink (4) zone
- 6.Place the 1/6 domino horizontally in the purple (=) zone and pink (≠) zone
- 7.Place the 1/4 domino vertically in the green (1) zone and pink (≠) zone
- 8.Place the 5/5 domino horizontally in the pink (≠) zone and teal (5) zone
- 9.Place the 1/1 domino vertically in the purple (=) zone
- 10.Place the 1/3 domino horizontally in the purple (=) zone and pink (≠) zone
- 11.Place the 2/0 domino vertically in the pink (≠) zone and navy (0) zone
- 12.Place the 0/0 domino horizontally in the pink (≠) zone and orange (=) zone
- 13.Place the 0/1 domino vertically in the orange (=) zone and green (1) zone
- 14.Place the 0/4 domino vertically in the navy (0) zone and pink (7) zone
- 15.Place the 1/2 domino vertically in the purple (3) zone
- 16.Place the 0/2 domino horizontally in the purple (3) zone and pink (7) zone
Puzzle Debrief
Overall Difficulty: Moderate challenge with clear progression - Easy introduces core mechanics, Medium adds numerical complexity, Hard tests multi-zone constraint management.
Trickiest Puzzle: Hard - the combination of inequality constraints (>8, <3, >9) with exact number requirements (4, 1, 7, 0) and multiple "equal" zones creates a complex web of dependencies.
Our Take: Today's puzzles showcase Pips' strength in layered logic. The Easy puzzle teaches zone interaction basics, Medium introduces exact numerical planning, and Hard demands simultaneous constraint satisfaction. The progression feels intentional - each puzzle builds skills needed for the next. The Hard puzzle's use of 0-value dominoes for the navy (=0) zone is particularly elegant.
Tomorrow's Pips drops at midnight. See you then.
