Tuesday brings a fresh set of NYT Pips puzzles with a consistent grid structure across all three difficulty levels. The same zone layout appears in Easy, Medium, and Hard but with progressively tighter constraints and less obvious domino paths. We've got hints, step-by-step walkthroughs, and full solutions for all three 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 twin purple (5) zones and the repeated orange (5) zones are your most constrained anchor points. Lock those exact-number placements first.
Key Insight: The pink (>0) zones are more flexible than they look. Any domino with a positive pip value works, which gives you room to maneuver when exact-number zones are pinching.
Watch Out For: The uncolored zones are limited and fill fast. If you burn them early on zero-heavy dominoes, you may box yourself in. Map out which zeros go where before committing.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough
- 1.Begin with the most constrained pair: purple (5) shares a border with navy (1). The 5/1 domino is the only piece that satisfies both exact-number conditions. Place it vertically.
- 2.Next, lock in pink (2) and green (1) with the 2/1 domino placed vertically. Both conditions are exact-number, so this placement is forced.
- 3.Place the 5/2 domino horizontally across the teal (5) zone and orange (2) zone. Both zones require their exact values, no alternatives exist.
- 4.Install the 3/6 domino horizontally in purple (3) and pink (>0). The 6 satisfies the greater-than-zero condition while the 3 hits the exact-number requirement in purple.
- 5.Place the 2/4 domino vertically in teal (2) and purple (4). Both exact-number zones, forced placement.
- 6.Set the 5/4 domino horizontally across orange (5) and navy (4). Both zones need exact matches.
- 7.Place the 2/3 domino vertically in green (2) and teal (3). Exact-number zones eliminate guesswork.
- 8.Now address the zeros. Place 0/2 vertically spanning an uncolored zone and navy (2). The uncolored zone absorbs the zero while the 2 satisfies navy's exact-number condition.
- 9.Place 1/3 vertically in pink (1) and green (3). Both exact-number conditions met.
- 10.Install 4/0 vertically in orange (4) and an uncolored zone. The zero goes to free space.
- 11.Place 1/0 horizontally in pink (1) and an uncolored zone. Again, zero absorbed by the free zone.
- 12.Set 3/0 vertically in purple (3) and an uncolored zone. This uses the third uncolored slot.
- 13.Place 1/4 vertically in teal (1) and green (4). Exact matches on both sides.
- 14.Install 5/0 horizontally in orange (5) and an uncolored zone. Fourth zero placed in free space.
- 15.Place 5/3 horizontally in purple (5) and pink (>0). Both conditions satisfied.
- 16.Finish with 4/3 vertically in navy (4) and teal (3). Exact matches close the puzzle.
Hard Pips Solution
Last chance to solve independently
---
---
---
---
---
- 1.Place the 5/1 domino vertically in the purple (5) zone and navy (1) zone
- 2.Place the 2/1 domino vertically in the pink (2) zone and green (1) zone
- 3.Place the 5/2 domino horizontally in the teal (5) zone and orange (2) zone
- 4.Place the 3/6 domino horizontally in the purple (3) zone and pink (>0) zone
- 5.Place the 2/4 domino vertically in the teal (2) zone and purple (4) zone
- 6.Place the 5/4 domino horizontally in the orange (5) zone and navy (4) zone
- 7.Place the 2/3 domino vertically in the green (2) zone and teal (3) zone
- 8.Place the 0/2 domino vertically in the uncolored (no condition) zone and navy (2) zone
- 9.Place the 1/3 domino vertically in the pink (1) zone and green (3) zone
- 10.Place the 4/0 domino vertically in the orange (4) zone and uncolored (no condition) zone
- 11.Place the 1/0 domino horizontally in the pink (1) zone and uncolored (no condition) zone
- 12.Place the 3/0 domino vertically in the purple (3) zone and uncolored (no condition) zone
- 13.Place the 1/4 domino vertically in the teal (1) zone and green (4) zone
- 14.Place the 5/0 domino horizontally in the orange (5) zone and uncolored (no condition) zone
- 15.Place the 5/3 domino horizontally in the purple (5) zone and pink (>0) zone
- 16.Place the 4/3 domino vertically in the navy (4) zone and teal (3) zone
Puzzle Debrief
Overall Difficulty: Moderate challenge. The zone layout is identical across all three difficulties, but the Hard puzzle tightens constraints with fewer obvious domino pairings. Easy and Medium are straightforward for regular players; Hard demands careful zero-domino management.
Trickiest Puzzle: Hard - The zero-value dominoes (0/2, 0/1, 0/3, 0/4, 0/5) must all land in uncolored zones or the pink (>0) zones. There are only five uncolored slots and two pink (>0) zones, so misplacing even one zero domino forces a restart.
Our Take: Today's set is a solid midweek workout. The repeated zone colors force you to track which purple (5) or orange (5) zone you've already filled. The Hard puzzle rewards players who think ahead about zero placement -- a good reminder that in Pips, the smallest pip value creates the biggest constraint.
Tomorrow's Pips drops at midnight. See you then.
