Wednesday brings a fresh set of NYT Pips puzzles. Today's set features symmetrical zone patterns with equal conditions dominating the board, creating a balanced but challenging experience across all 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 orange (<2) zone is your primary constraint - only 0s and 1s work here, forcing specific domino placements.
Key Insight: The symmetrical zone layout means dominoes often need to satisfy multiple equal conditions simultaneously.
Watch Out For: The pink (>2) zone requires values greater than 2, but it connects to navy (=) which needs consistent values - choose domino ends carefully.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough
- 1.Start with the 1/0 domino placed vertically across purple (=) and teal (=) zones. This establishes your first consistent values and addresses the orange zone constraint.
- 2.Place the 1/6 domino horizontally to connect purple (=) and pink (=) zones. This maintains the 1 in purple while introducing 6 to pink.
- 3.Use the 0/2 domino horizontally in the teal (=) zone. This satisfies the equal condition with the existing 0 from step 1.
- 4.Position the 6/4 domino vertically to connect pink (=) and navy (=) zones. The 6 maintains consistency in pink while 4 establishes navy's value.
- 5.Place the 6/0 domino horizontally to connect pink (=) and orange (<2) zones. The 0 perfectly satisfies the orange zone's strict requirement.
- 6.Use the 4/3 domino horizontally to connect navy (=) and pink (>2) zones. The 4 maintains navy's consistency while 3 satisfies pink (>2).
- 7.Place the 0/3 domino vertically to connect orange (<2) and teal (=) zones.
- 8.Position the 3/2 domino horizontally in green (>2) and purple (=) zones. The 3 satisfies green (>2) while 2 adds to purple's values.
- 9.Place the 3/5 domino horizontally in teal (=) and orange (>2) zones.
- 10.Finally, place the 2/2 domino vertically in the remaining purple (=) zone to complete all equal conditions and finish the puzzle.
Hard Pips Solution
Last chance to solve independently
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- 1.Place the 1/0 domino vertically in the purple (=) zone and teal (=) zone
- 2.Place the 1/6 domino horizontally in the purple (=) zone and pink (=) zone
- 3.Place the 0/2 domino horizontally in the teal (=) zone
- 4.Place the 6/4 domino vertically in the pink (=) zone and navy (=) zone
- 5.Place the 6/0 domino horizontally in the pink (=) zone and orange (<2) zone
- 6.Place the 4/3 domino horizontally in the navy (=) zone and pink (>2) zone
- 7.Place the 0/3 domino vertically in the orange (<2) zone and teal (=) zone
- 8.Place the 3/2 domino horizontally in the green (>2) zone and purple (=) zone
- 9.Place the 3/5 domino horizontally in the teal (=) zone and orange (>2) zone
- 10.Place the 2/2 domino vertically in the purple (=) zone
Puzzle Debrief
Overall Difficulty: Moderate challenge with consistent patterns across all three levels.
Trickiest Puzzle: Hard - while the solution pattern is similar to Easy and Medium, the increased complexity comes from managing multiple equal conditions simultaneously and ensuring domino ends satisfy all connected zone requirements.
Our Take: Today's puzzles demonstrate elegant symmetry in zone layout, with equal conditions dominating the board. The orange (<2) zone serves as the primary constraint driver, forcing careful domino selection early. This set rewards systematic placement over trial-and-error, with each domino serving multiple zone requirements simultaneously.
Tomorrow's Pips drops at midnight. See you then.
