NYT Pips Hints & Answers for August 10, 2026

Aug 10, 2026

🚨 SPOILER WARNING

This page contains the final **answer** and the complete **solution** to today's NYT Pips puzzle. If you haven't attempted the puzzle yet and want to try solving it yourself first, now's your chance!

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Want hints instead? Scroll down for progressive clues that won't spoil the fun.

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🎲 Today's Puzzle Overview

Ian Livengood's easy puzzle for NYT Pips exemplifies his knack for clean, minimal logic. The grid is anchored by a three-cell sum-3 region that locks together two dominos in a forced partnership, while a solitary less-2 cell on the top row neatly dictates the first placement. The elegance lies in how a single equals region dovetails with the sum-3 solve, creating a tight, satisfying solve path. Rodolfo Kurchan's medium puzzle showcases his love for interlocking constraints. A region demanding a sum greater than 10 seems impossible at first, but paired with a double-domino equality region, it forces a careful dance of high pips. The architecture reveals a chain of deductions where one constraint's solution funnels directly into the next, a hallmark of Kurchan's designing. The hard puzzle, also by Kurchan, is a masterclass in zero-cell propagation. Four single-cell sum-0 regions act as immovable anchors, each forcing a specific zero from the domino pool. From these, high-value sum regions like sum-12 and sum-10 rapidly resolve, cascading through the grid with a rhythm that feels almost musical. It's a dense, rewarding lattice that highlights Kurchan's ability to conjure complexity from simple rules.

💡 Progressive Hints

Try these hints one at a time. Each hint becomes more specific to help you solve it yourself!

💡 Hint 1: Spot the forced trio
Look for a region that requires a sum across three cells—given the limited domino values available, only a very specific combination can work.
💡 Hint 2: Zero anchors
The three-cell sum-3 region at the bottom left (covering [2,1], [3,1], and [3,2]) forces two zeros from the [0,0] domino, leaving the remaining cell needing a 3. This, in turn, involves the equals region next door.
💡 Hint 3: The full unraveling
Place the [0,0] domino vertically on [2,1] and [3,1] (both 0). Then the [3,3] domino goes horizontally on [3,2] and [3,3] (both 3), satisfying the sum-3 and the equals region when paired with the 3 on [3,4] from the [5,3] domino. The [5,3] domino itself sits in column 4: [2,4]=5, [3,4]=3. Up top, the less-2 cell at [0,0] gets 1 from the [1,5] domino, with [0,1]=5. The greater-2 cell at [0,4] takes the [4,0] domino: [0,4]=4, [0,5]=0.
💡 Hint 1: Double trouble
Start by finding the two-cell region that forces an identical pair—this instantly narrows down to the only domino with matching pips.
💡 Hint 2: High stakes
The equals region on [2,3] and [3,3] takes the [1,1] domino. Now, a nearby two-cell region demands a sum greater than 10; the only way to achieve that is with a 5–6 duo, which must be split across two dominos because no single tile holds 5 and 6.
💡 Hint 3: Complete solve
Place [1,1] on [2,3]=1, [3,3]=1. For the greater-10 region, put the [1,5] domino with 5 on [1,1] and 1 on [1,2]; the [4,6] domino with 6 on [2,1] and 4 on [3,1]. The sum-3 pair [1,2] and [2,2] then gets 1 (already placed) and 2 from the [2,4] domino on [2,2]=2, [3,2]=4. The sum-7 pair [1,3] and [1,4] uses [1,3]=6 from the [1,6] domino (with [0,3]=1) and [1,4]=1 from the [4,1] domino (with [2,4]=4). The empty [2,0] takes 0 from the [0,1] domino on [2,0]=0, [3,0]=1, and the sum-9 triple [3,0],[3,1],[3,2] finishes with 1,4,4 respectively.
💡 Hint 1: Zero intuition
Seek out solitary cells bound by sum-0 constraints—they leave no room for anything but zero, creating powerful anchor points.
💡 Hint 2: Bottom-right trigger
The sum-0 at [8,3] is particularly instructive. Adjacent [8,2] must pair with [7,2] to sum to 10, forcing [8,2] to be 6 and thus demanding a domino with a 0 and a 6 from the set.
💡 Hint 3: Branching zeros
Once [8,2]=6 from the [0,6] domino, the sum-10 region forces [7,2]=4, which comes from the [4,3] domino, placing 3 on [6,2]. Meanwhile, the sum-0 at [3,2] pulls the [0,4] domino into play vertically between rows 2-3.
💡 Hint 4: Stacking sixes
With zeros established at [3,2] and [3,6] (via [2,0] domino), and a third zero at [5,3] from [0,3], the top sum-12 region can be attacked. The sum-12 at [0,0] and [1,0] must use two 6s, drawing from the [6,3] and [5,6] dominoes, placing the latter underneath [1,0].
💡 Hint 5: Complete cascade
Place [0,6] on [8,2]=6/[8,3]=0; [4,3] on [7,2]=4/[6,2]=3; [0,3] on [5,3]=0/[5,2]=3 (satisfying sum-6 with [6,2]=3). [0,4] on [3,2]=0/[2,2]=4, [2,0] on [3,5]=2/[3,6]=0. Then [6,3] on [0,0]=6/[0,1]=3; [5,6] on [2,0]=5/[1,0]=6 (sum-12 done). [1,5] on [0,2]=1/[1,2]=5 (sum-4 with [0,1]=3, sum-9 with [2,2]=4). [4,4] on [0,4]=4/[1,4]=4. [5,3] on [3,4]=5/[2,4]=3 (sum-3 at [2,4] and sum-7 at [3,4][3,5]=5+2). [5,2] on [3,1]=5/[3,0]=2 (sum-7 at [3,0][3,1]=2+5). The grid is complete.

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Aug 10, 2026

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✅ Final Answer & Complete Solution For Hard Level

The key to solving today's hard puzzle was identifying the placement for the critical dominoes highlighted in the starting grid. Once those were in place, the rest of the puzzle could be solved logically. See the final grid below to compare your solution.

Starting Position & Key First Steps

Pips hint for August 10, 2026 – hard level puzzle grid with critical first placements and strategy

This image shows the initial puzzle grid for the hard level, with a few critical first placements highlighted.

Final Answer: The Solved Grid for Hard Mode

NYT Pips August 10, 2026 hard puzzle full solution grid showing final answer with hints

Compare this final grid with your own solution to see the correct placement of all dominoes.

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Easy Level

1
Step 1: Identify the sum-3 trio
The region covering [2,1], [3,1], and [3,2] must sum to 3. With available dominoes including [0,0] and [3,3], the only feasible combination is two zeros and a 3. The [0,0] domino fits perfectly covering [2,1] and [3,1] vertically, placing zeros in both cells.
2
Step 2: Lock in the double-3
With [2,1] and [3,1] set to 0, the remaining cell [3,2] must be 3. The [3,3] domino provides that, placed horizontally on [3,2] and [3,3] (both 3). This also satisfies the equals region next door if [3,4] is also 3.
3
Step 3: Solve the equals and top left
The equals region [3,3] and [3,4] demands [3,4]=3, so the [5,3] domino is placed with 3 on [3,4] and 5 on [2,4]. Simultaneously, the less-2 cell at [0,0] forces the [1,5] domino to place 1 there, putting 5 at [0,1].
4
Step 4: Finish the top right
The greater-2 cell at [0,4] requires a value >2, so the [4,0] domino lands with 4 on [0,4] and 0 on [0,5]. The puzzle resolves with all constraints satisfied.

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Medium Level

1
Step 1: Force the equal pair
The equals region at [2,3] and [3,3] must have identical pips; the only domino with matching values is [1,1]. Place it covering both cells as [2,3]=1, [3,3]=1.
2
Step 2: Tackle the high-sum region
The two-cell region [1,1] and [2,1] requires a sum greater than 10. With pips maxing at 6, only 5 and 6 (sum 11) work. No single domino has both, so two different dominoes supply them: the [1,5] gives 5 at [1,1] (with 1 at [1,2]), and the [4,6] gives 6 at [2,1] (with 4 at [3,1]).
3
Step 3: Resolve the sum-3 pair
The sum-3 region at [1,2] and [2,2] now has [1,2] already 1. Thus [2,2] must be 2. The [2,4] domino, placed with 2 on [2,2] and 4 on [3,2], fits perfectly and also supplies a value for the sum-9 triple below.
4
Step 4: Place the sum-7 pair
The sum-7 region at [1,3] and [1,4] needs to total 7. The [1,6] domino provides 6 on [1,3] (with 1 on [0,3]), and the [4,1] domino yields 1 on [1,4] (with 4 on [2,4]). This also satisfies the greater-0 cell at [0,3]=1.
5
Step 5: Complete the left column
The empty cell [2,0] takes 0 from the [0,1] domino, which pairs with 1 on [3,0] to satisfy the sum-9 region [3,0],[3,1],[3,2] that already has [3,1]=4 and [3,2]=4. The sum 9 finishes with 1+4+4, and all dominoes are used.

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Hard Level

1
Step 1: Zero in on the zeros
The sum-0 single-cell regions at [8,3], [3,2], [3,6], and [5,3] force those cells to be zero. The dominoes that contain a zero are [0,6], [2,0], [0,4], and [0,3]; each must cover one of these zero cells.
2
Step 2: Bottom-right zero triggers a chain
Cell [8,3]=0 is adjacent to [8,2], which pairs with [7,2] to sum to 10. To reach 10, [8,2] must be 6, forcing the [0,6] domino on [8,2]=6 and [8,3]=0. Then [7,2] must be 4, so the [4,3] domino is placed vertically on [7,2]=4 and [6,2]=3.
3
Step 3: Place the mid-grid zeros
Cell [3,2] is sum-0, so the [0,4] domino goes vertically on [3,2]=0 and [2,2]=4. Cell [3,6] is sum-0, covered by [2,0] on [3,5]=2 and [3,6]=0 (this later helps sum-7 at [3,4][3,5]). Cell [5,3] is sum-0, so [0,3] places 0 at [5,3] and 3 at [5,2]; together with [6,2]=3, this fulfills the sum-6 region [5,2][6,2].
4
Step 4: Resolve the top heavy sums
The sum-12 region [0,0] and [1,0] needs two 6s. Place the [6,3] domino on [0,0]=6 and [0,1]=3, and the [5,6] domino on [2,0]=5 and [1,0]=6 (the greater-2 cell at [2,0] accepts 5). Now the sum-4 region [0,1][0,2] has [0,1]=3, so [0,2] must be 1, supplied by the [1,5] domino with 1 on [0,2] and 5 on [1,2]. This also satisfies sum-9 at [1,2][2,2] since [2,2] already holds 4.
5
Step 5: Fill the right and middle
The greater-3 cells [0,4] and [1,4] need values >3; the double-4 domino [4,4] fits there: [0,4]=4, [1,4]=4. The sum-3 cell [2,4] then gets 3 from the [5,3] domino placed on [3,4]=5 and [2,4]=3, completing sum-7 at [3,4][3,5] with [3,5]=2. Finally, the sum-7 region [3,0][3,1] is resolved by the [5,2] domino on [3,1]=5 and [3,0]=2.

💡 Pro Tips for Similar Puzzles

Start with Constraints
Always begin with the most constrained regions - sum regions with small numbers or tight spaces.
Use Equal Regions
Use "equal" regions as anchors - they eliminate many possibilities quickly.
Work Systematically
Let the rules guide your placement rather than guessing randomly.
Double-Check
Verify each region's rules are satisfied before moving to the next.

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