🚨 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.
🎲 Today's Puzzle Overview
Today's NYT Pips easy, by Ian Livengood, is a pure confidence-builder. A dominant six-cell equals region spans most of the grid, turning the puzzle into a gentle sequence of forced placements. There are no forks or tricky switches—just straightforward, logical fill-in. If you're new to Pips, this is the perfect warm-up.
The medium, also from Livengood, tightens the screws. A key greater-than singleton at the top anchors the solve, then a chain of sum regions zigzags down the right column while a less-than column and an equals trio on the left interlock. The bottleneck is recognizing how the 6-6 domino unlocks the sum-7 and sum-5 regions; once that breaks, the left side snaps into place smoothly.
Rodolfo Kurchan's hard is the day's beast. A maze of tiny sum targets (0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 9, 10, 16, 17) overlays a giant five-cell equals region that must all be zero. The solve demands careful commitment—starting with a sum-0 region that forces two zeros, then working through a double-digit sum cascade. Expect to pause, but every deduction is crisp, and the final picture is deeply satisfying.
💡 Progressive Hints
Try these hints one at a time. Each hint becomes more specific to help you solve it yourself!
💡 Hint 1: Spot the great equalizer
Look for the region type that forces all its cells to have the same pip value. That region occupies the majority of the board and will dictate almost every domino.
💡 Hint 2: Zero in on the less-2 cell
The large equals region touches a single cell at [1,3] that must be less than 2. The domino that bridges this cell and the equals region can only carry one pip that satisfies both constraints—this is your starting domino.
💡 Hint 3: Full answer
The equals region is all 1s. Place the 1-0 domino at [1,2]-[1,3] (1 on the equals cell, 0 on the less-2 cell). The 1-1 domino fills [2,1]-[2,2]. The 1-2 domino sits at [1,1]-[1,0] (1 in equals, 2 in the empty cell). The 1-5 domino covers [0,2]-[0,3] (1 in equals, 5 in greater-3). Finally, the 1-6 domino goes to [0,1]-[0,0] (1 in equals, 6 in greater-5).
💡 Hint 1: Find the forced high pip
A single-cell greater-than constraint demands the highest possible pip value. Locate that cell and see which adjacent space can pair with it—this will determine the first domino shape.
💡 Hint 2: Follow the sum cascade
The cell at [0,2] must be 6 and pairs only with [1,2]. That [1,2] is part of a sum-7 region with [2,2]. Once you place the 6-6 domino there, [2,2] becomes forced to 1, which then dictates the sum-5 region below it and the remaining right-column dominos.
💡 Hint 3: Full answer
Place the 6-6 domino at [0,2]-[1,2] (both 6). This forces [2,2]=1 to hit sum-7, so use the 1-0 domino at [2,2]-[3,2] (1 on [2,2], 0 on [3,2]). Sum-5 at [3,2]+[4,2] makes [4,2]=5; place 0-5 domino at [5,2]-[4,2] (0 on [5,2], 5 on [4,2]). Left column: less-3 cells need small values; place 0-0 domino at [2,0]-[3,0], then 3-2 domino at [0,0]-[1,0] (3 on empty [0,0], 2 on [1,0]). The equals region [4,0],[5,0],[6,0] must all match; use 4-4 domino at [4,0]-[5,0] and 4-6 domino at [6,0]-[7,0] (4 on [6,0], 6 on greater-5 [7,0]). Finish with 6-5 domino at [7,2]-[6,2] (6 on empty [7,2], 5 on [6,2] to complete sum-5).
💡 Hint 1: Search for a sum that can't escape
Look for a region whose sum target is zero. There's only one way for a sum region to hit zero—both cells must be zero. This tiny area unlocks the rest.
💡 Hint 2: Zero breeds zeros
The sum-0 region at [0,3] and [0,4] forces those cells to 0. Those zeros block other possibilities in the sum-16 and sum-17 regions above and to the right, and they also connect to a large equals region through a chain of forced pips.
💡 Hint 3: Connect the high sums
[0,3]=0 forces the domino covering it to put a 6 on [1,3] (from the 6-0 domino). Similarly, [0,4]=0 forces a 5 on [1,4] (from the 5-0 domino). Now the sum-16 region at [1,1]-[1,3] has 6 in [1,3], leaving 10 to split between [1,1] and [1,2]—they must be 5 and 5.
💡 Hint 4: The equals region absorbs zero
With [1,4]=5, the sum-17 region [1,4],[2,4],[3,4] needs 12 more from [2,4]+[3,4]—a 6-6 domino does the job. Meanwhile, the sum-1 at [6,0] forces a 1 there paired with a 0 at [5,0] (using 1-0 domino). That 0 propagates: the five-cell equals region [2,0],[3,0],[4,0],[4,1],[5,0] all become 0, so use 0-0 and 2-0 and 0-4 dominos to fill them.
💡 Hint 5: Full answer
Start with sum-0: place 5-0 at [1,4]-[0,4] (5 and 0) and 6-0 at [1,3]-[0,3] (6 and 0). Sum-16: put 5-5 at [1,1]-[1,2]. Sum-17: 6-6 at [2,4]-[3,4]. Sum-1: 1-0 at [6,0]-[5,0] (1 and 0). Equals-to-zero: 0-0 at [3,0]-[4,0], 2-0 at [2,1]-[2,0] (2 and 0), 0-4 at [4,1]-[5,1] (0 and 4), sum-10 then forces 2-6 at [6,2]-[6,1] (2 and 6). Sum-9 uses 6-3 at [6,4]-[6,3] (6 and 3) and 0-3 at [4,4]-[5,4] (0 and 3). Remaining sums: 1-4 at [0,0]-[1,0] for sum-5, 2-3 at [0,1]-[0,2] for sum-2/sum-3, 3-3 at [2,2]-[2,3] for sum/equals, 3-5 at [3,3]-[4,3] for sum-5/equals.
🎨 Pips Solver
Aug 11, 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
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
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: Corner the zero
The less-2 region at [1,3] only allows a pip of 0 or 1. Its only adjacent cell is [1,2], which sits inside the large equals region. The domino covering these two must place a 1 in the equals cell and a 0 in the less-2 cell, making the 1-0 domino the only candidate. Place the 1-0 domino with 1 at [1,2] and 0 at [1,3].
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Step 2: Spread the ones
Every cell in the 6-cell equals region must now be 1. The two remaining uncovered equals cells are [2,1] and [2,2]; they must both be 1, so the 1-1 domino fits perfectly there. The equals cell [1,1] also needs a 1; its partner can be the empty cell [1,0]. The 1-2 domino places 1 at [1,1] and 2 at [1,0] (which has no constraint).
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Step 3: Hit the greater targets
The greater-3 cell [0,3] needs a pip >3, while the equals cell [0,2] must still be 1. The 1-5 domino satisfies both: 1 on [0,2] and 5 on [0,3]. Similarly, the greater-5 cell [0,0] needs >5, and its neighbor [0,1] is an equals cell requiring 1. The 1-6 domino places 1 at [0,1] and 6 at [0,0].
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Step 4: Confirm and celebrate
All dominos are placed, every region constraint is satisfied: the equals cells are all 1, the less-2 cell holds a 0, the greater-3 and greater-5 cells hold 5 and 6, and the empty cell holds a harmless 2. The easy puzzle resolves with no ambiguity.
🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Medium Level
1
Step 1: Top-right anchor
The single-cell greater-5 region at [0,2] forces a pip of 6. The only adjacent cell is [1,2], so the domino covering [0,2] and [1,2] must carry a 6 on both ends. The 6-6 domino is placed here, giving [1,2]=6.
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Step 2: Sum-7 completes
The sum-7 region groups [1,2] (now 6) and [2,2]. To reach 7, [2,2] must be 1. The only domino with a 1 is the 1-0 domino. Place it at [2,2] (1) and [3,2] (0).
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Step 3: Sum-5 triggers below
The sum-5 region includes [3,2] (now 0) and [4,2]. To total 5, [4,2] must be 5. The 0-5 domino covers [5,2] and [4,2]; with 5 on [4,2], the 0 lands on [5,2] (another sum-5 region with [6,2]).
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Step 4: Left column less-than
Cells [1,0], [2,0], [3,0] are all less than 3. The only multi-zero domino is 0-0, which must cover [2,0] and [3,0] (both 0). The remaining empty [0,0] and [1,0] are filled by the 3-2 domino: 3 on unconstrained [0,0] and 2 on [1,0] (still <3).
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Step 5: Equals and final gaps
The equals region [4,0], [5,0], [6,0] must hold identical pips. The 4-4 domino places 4s at [4,0] and [5,0]. For [6,0] to also be 4, use the 4-6 domino at [6,0] (4) and [7,0] (6, satisfying the greater-5 cell at [7,0]). Meanwhile, the sum-5 region at [5,2] (0) and [6,2] requires [6,2]=5; place the 6-5 domino with 5 on [6,2] and 6 on the empty [7,2].
🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Hard Level
1
Step 1: Sum-zero ignition
The sum-0 region at [0,3] and [0,4] forces both cells to 0. To achieve this, place the 6-0 domino at [1,3]-[0,3] (6 on [1,3], 0 on [0,3]) and the 5-0 domino at [1,4]-[0,4] (5 on [1,4], 0 on [0,4]).
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Step 2: High-value sum regions
Sum-16 region [1,1], [1,2], [1,3] now has [1,3]=6, so [1,1]+[1,2] must be 10. The only way with available dominos is two 5s—place the 5-5 domino there. Sum-17 region [1,4], [2,4], [3,4] now has [1,4]=5, leaving 12 for [2,4]+[3,4]; the 6-6 domino fits exactly.
3
Step 3: Sum-1 triggers the zero cascade
Sum-1 region at [6,0] demands a 1; only the 1-0 domino can provide it, placing 1 at [6,0] and 0 at [5,0]. The large equals region [2,0], [3,0], [4,0], [4,1], [5,0] all now inherit 0 from [5,0]. Therefore, place the 0-0 domino at [3,0]-[4,0], the 2-0 domino at [2,1]-[2,0] (2 on [2,1] for its sum-2, 0 on [2,0]), and the 0-4 domino at [4,1]-[5,1] (0 on [4,1], 4 on [5,1]).
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Step 4: Lower sum interplay
Sum-10 region [5,1] (4) and [6,1] need [6,1]=6. The 2-6 domino can place 2 at [6,2] (sum-2) and 6 at [6,1], solving both. For sum-9 at [5,4]+[6,4], place the 6-3 domino at [6,4]-[6,3] (6 on [6,4], 3 on [6,3] for sum-3). Then [5,4] must be 3; use the 0-3 domino at [4,4]-[5,4] (0 on [4,4] for its sum-0, 3 on [5,4]).
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Step 5: Top row and remaining singles
Sum-5 at [0,0]+[1,0] is satisfied by the 1-4 domino: 1 at [0,0], 4 at [1,0]. Sum-2 at [0,1] and sum-3 at [0,2] are covered by the 2-3 domino: 2 on [0,1], 3 on [0,2]. Sum-3 at [2,2] and the equals pair [2,3]=[3,3] are resolved with the 3-3 domino at [2,2]-[2,3] (both 3).
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Step 6: The final link
The last region is sum-5 at [4,3], joined to the equals cell [3,3] (already 3) via the 3-5 domino, placing 3 on [3,3] (confirms equals) and 5 on [4,3]. Every constraint checks out, and the hard grid is complete.
💡 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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