Tuesday brings a fresh set of NYT Pips puzzles. This set leans on the classic constraint-stacking pattern: the shared grid across difficulties means mastering the exact-number and equality zones first is the whole game.
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 pink (=) zone is the pivot. Four dominoes share it, and all must present the same pip value on the shared side.
Solve that cluster before anything else.
Key Insight: Treat the exact-total zones as a bookkeeping problem. Navy (16), green (17), and orange (10) each need specific sums, and the high dominoes (5/5, 6/6, 0/6) are the only pieces that can hit those totals.
Watch Out For: The orange (0) zone is the trap. Players often slot a low domino there and blow the total.
It demands a literal 0 side, so only 0/5 and 0/6 can touch it, and both must be vertical. Miss that and the green and navy sums collapse.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough
- 1.Lock 0/0 vertically in the pink (=) zone. This defines the shared value for the whole equals cluster.
- 2.Place 0/1 vertically across pink (=) and green (1). The green side takes exactly 1.
- 3.Place 0/2 horizontally across pink (=) and teal (2). Teal's exact-2 condition is satisfied.
- 4.Place 0/4 vertically across pink (=) and orange (10). The 4 adds to the orange running total.
- 5.Place 6/2 horizontally across orange (10) and purple (2). Orange now sits at 8 of 10, purple takes the 2.
- 6.Lay 5/5 horizontally in navy (16). Ten points banked toward the target.
- 7.Place 0/6 vertically across orange (0) and navy (16). The 6 completes navy at exactly 16; the 0 satisfies orange's zero constraint.
- 8.Place 0/5 vertically across orange (0) and green (17). The 5 keeps green's total climbing.
- 9.Set 6/6 vertically in green (17). With the 5 and 1 already in place, green totals exactly 17.
- 10.Place 2/3 horizontally across pink (2) and teal (3). Both sides land on their exact numbers.
- 11.Place 1/4 vertically in purple (5). The pair sums to the exact target.
- 12.Lay 3/3 horizontally across orange (3) and purple (=). The double satisfies both conditions.
- 13.Place 3/5 vertically across purple (=) and pink (5). Pink's target is met.
- 14.Place 0/3 vertically across teal (0) and navy (9). The 0 clears teal; the 3 builds navy.
- 15.Finish with 3/6 horizontally across pink (3) and navy (9). Both zones hit their exact numbers.
Hard Pips Solution
Last chance to solve independently
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- 1.Place the 0/0 domino vertically in the pink (=) zone
- 2.Place the 0/1 domino vertically in the pink (=) and green (1) zones
- 3.Place the 0/2 domino horizontally in the pink (=) and teal (2) zones
- 4.Place the 0/4 domino vertically in the pink (=) and orange (10) zones
- 5.Place the 6/2 domino horizontally in the orange (10) and purple (2) zones
- 6.Place the 5/5 domino horizontally in the navy (16) zone
- 7.Place the 0/6 domino vertically in the orange (0) and navy (16) zones
- 8.Place the 0/5 domino vertically in the orange (0) and green (17) zones
- 9.Place the 6/6 domino vertically in the green (17) zone
- 10.Place the 2/3 domino horizontally in the pink (2) and teal (3) zones
- 11.Place the 1/4 domino vertically in the purple (5) zone
- 12.Place the 3/3 domino horizontally in the orange (3) and purple (=) zones
- 13.Place the 3/5 domino vertically in the purple (=) and pink (5) zones
- 14.Place the 0/3 domino vertically in the teal (0) and navy (9) zones
- 15.Place the 3/6 domino horizontally in the pink (3) and navy (9) zones
Puzzle Debrief
Overall Difficulty: Easy day. All three difficulty levels run the same core solution, so the real challenge is discipline, not novelty.
Trickiest Puzzle: Hard - The orange (0) zone is the trap. It demands a literal 0 side, so only the 0/5 and 0/6 doubles can touch it, and both must run vertically.
Misplace either and the navy and green exact totals cascade into failure.
Our Take: This is a textbook constraint-stacking set. Nail the pink (=) cluster and the exact-total zones first, and the grid practically solves itself.
The identical solution across difficulties is a nice confidence builder -- if you cracked Hard, you understand the pattern cold.
Tomorrow's Pips drops at midnight. See you then.
