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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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🎲 Today's Puzzle Overview
NYT Pips for Friday, February 13, 2026 brings a fresh domino logic challenge that’s perfect for players who love clean deduction and satisfying “aha” moments.
Today’s lineup features Easy ID 589, Medium ID 616, and Hard ID 639, all edited by Ian Livengood. Expect clever use of equals regions, tight sum constraints, and multiple spots where a single forced pip value unlocks the next placement.
If you’re looking for Pips hints, a full solution walkthrough, or just want to compare your strategy with other solvers, this is a great puzzle day to study patterns and sharpen your grid instincts.
Pips hint today: watch for how small sum targets and equals zones quietly restrict the entire board.
Written by July
Puzzle Analyst – Mark
💡 Progressive Hints
Try these hints one at a time. Each hint becomes more specific to help you solve it yourself!
💡 Observe
only 2 domino halves that contain 5 pips (5-4, 5-3) for Light Blue 5 region and Blue 5 region.
💡 Start With the Only Guaranteed Equal Value (Lock the 5s Early)
Before placing anything, count which pip value is unavoidable. The Light Blue Equal region must be filled with 5s, because the domino pool is heavily centered around 5 and the puzzle structure requires repeated matching. Treat this as the main anchor: once you know an equals region is forced, every domino containing that pip becomes priority inventory.
💡 Solve the Red 2 Region by Building the Exact Sum (1+1+0)
Red 2 is a classic low-sum trap: the only way to reach 2 with the available pieces is 1+1+0. That immediately forces the 1-1 domino, and the leftover 0 must come from 5-0, which also conveniently feeds a 5 into the Light Blue Equal region. This is a clean pips-count deduction, not a placement guess.
💡 Use the Required Double Domino to Lock Purple Equal (3-3)
Once the low-sum region is resolved, the remaining set reveals the only usable double for an equals zone. Purple Equal must become 3, forcing 3-3 into place. After that, the neighboring constraint makes 5-3 the natural follow-up, because it supplies both a required 3 connection and another guaranteed 5 for the Light Blue Equal region.
💡 Finish by Assigning the Remaining Equals Values Through Elimination
At the endgame, the leftover dominoes (6-3, 6-2, 5-4, 5-2) make the equals regions deterministic. Light Blue Equal completes with the last 5s, Blue Equal can only be 2, and Yellow Equal can only be 6. This is the key pips hint today: when multiple equals regions remain, solve them by checking which repeated number is still possible, not by testing placements.
💡 Count the Rare Pips First (6s and 0s Control the Board)
Start by scanning the domino pool for missing numbers and limited pips. With only six 6-halves available, Purple 17 and Blue 24 immediately become locked to heavy-6 combinations. At the same time, the shortage of 0-halves forces the Light Blue 4 region into an all-ones setup, making pip counting the strongest opening deduction.
💡 Use Region Totals to Force a Mandatory Bridge Domino
Purple 17 must be built as 5+6+6, while Light Blue 4 demands paired 1s. Since there are only four total 1-halves in the entire set, the only way to satisfy both regions is to place the 5-1 domino directly on their boundary. This is the key placement that anchors the whole top structure.
💡 Equals Regions Work Like Value Locks
Once a single pip enters an equals region, the entire region collapses into that same number. With a 3 already forced into Green Equal, the rest of the region becomes fixed as 3s, and that pressure pushes Yellow Equal into the only remaining compatible value: 2. Use equals zones as quick confirmation tools rather than guessing.
💡 When a Huge Sum Appears, Fill It With the Only Possible High Pips
Blue 24 is so large that it can only be satisfied by stacking 6s. Since the remaining 6-dominoes are exactly 6-2, 6-3, 6-4, and 6-5, the region becomes deterministic. Then the smaller constraint regions (Red <3, Light Blue <4, Yellow <5) decide which low pip each 6 must pair with.
💡 Solve the 0-Region by Exhausting All Remaining Zero Halves
After the 6-heavy placements, the leftover set contains the 0-rich dominoes. Purple 0 requires a full block of zeros, so the correct strategy is to immediately allocate 0-0 and the remaining x-0 tiles into that zone. This also forces Light Blue Equal to become 5, since 5-5 is the only clean equal domino left.
💡 Finish by Identifying the Last Unused Equal Domino
Once every region target is satisfied, the final step is simple bookkeeping: check what domino is still unused. The remaining equal-only candidate is 4-4, so Blue Equal must be 4. This is a classic endgame technique—solve by elimination, not trial placement.
🎨 Pips Solver
Feb 13, 2026
Click a domino to place it on the board. You can also click the board, and the correct domino will appear.
✅ 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
Dominoes Include: [6-4], [6-1], [5-4], [5-3], [2-0].
2
Step 2: Blue 5 + Yellow Equal --(Arrows ①②)
Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. Only 2 dominoes with 5 pips (5-4, 5-3). The domino halves in Yellow Equal region must be 4. The answer is 5-4, placed horizontally; 4-6 (6 up into blank), placed vertically.
3
Step 3: Light Blue 5 + Red 4 + Purple <3 --(Arrows ③④⑤)
Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (6-1, 5-3, 2-0). The domino halves in Red 4 region must be 0+1+3. The answer is 5-3, placed horizontally; 0-2 (2 into Purple <3 region), placed vertically; 1-6 (6 left into blank), placed horizontally.
🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Medium Level
1
Step 1
Dominoes Include: [6-3], [6-2], [5-4], [5-3], [5-2], [5-0], [3-3]], [1-1]. The domino halves in Light Blue Equal region must be 5.
2
Step 2: Red 2 --(Arrows ①②)
Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. The domino halves in this region must be 1+1+0. The answer is 1-1 (whole domino), placed horizontally; 0-5 (5 into Light Blue Equal region), placed vertically.
3
Step 3: Purple Equal --(Arrows ③④)
Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes. Need one domino with the same number placed in this region, the domino halves in this region must be 3. The answer is 3-3, placed horizontally; 3-5 (5 into Light Blue Equal region), placed vertically.
4
Step 4: Light Blue Equal + Blue Equal + Yellow Equal --(Arrows ⑤⑥⑦⑧)
Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (6-3, 6-2, 5-4, 5-2). The domino halves in Light Blue Equal region must be 5 (two 5s already come from Arrows ②④). The domino halves in Blue Equal must be 2. The domino halves in Yellow Equal must be 6. The answer is 5-4 (4 right into blank), placed horizontally; 5-2, placed vertically; 2-6, placed vertically; 6-3 (3 left into blank), placed horizontally.
🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Hard Level
1
Step 1
Dominoes Include: [6-6], [6-5], [6-4], [6-3], [6-2], [5-5], [5-1], [4-4], [4-0], [3-3], [3-2], [3-1], [3-0], [2-0], [1-1], [0-0]. The domino halves in Purple 17 region must be 5+6+6. Only 6 domino halves that contain 6 pips, need two for Purple 17 region, need four for Blue 24 region. Only 5 domino halve that contain 0 pips (4-0, 3-0, 2-0, 0-0) for Number 0 regions, therefore, the domino halves in Light Blue 4 region must be 1+1+1+1.
2
Step 2: Purple 17 + Light Blue 4--(Arrows ①②③④)
Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. The domino halves in Purple 17 region must be 5+6+6. The domino halves in Light Blue 4 region must be 1+1. Only 4 domino halves that contain 1 pips (5-1, 3-1, 1-1), therefore, [5-1] must placed in the boundary between Purple 17 region and Light Blue 4 region. The answer is 5-1, placed vertically; 6-6, placed horizontally; 1-1, placed horizontally; 1-3 (3 into Green Equal region), placed vertically.
3
Step 3: Green Equal + Yellow Equal + Red 0 --(Arrows ⑤⑥⑦)
Confirmed by neighboring region and step 2 and remaining dominoes with 3 pips (6-3, 3-3, 3-2, 3-0). The domino halves in Green Equal region must be 3 (one 3s already come from Arrows ④). The domino halves in Yellow Equal must be 2. The answer is 3-3, placed horizontally; 3-2, placed vertically; 2-0 (0 into Red 0 region), placed vertically.
4
Step 4: Blue 24 + Red <3 + Light Blue <4 + Yellow <5 --(Arrows ⑧⑨⑩⑪)
Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes with 6 pips (6-5, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2). The domino halves in Blue 24 must be 6+6+6+6. The answer is 6-2 (2 into Red <3 region), placed vertically; 6-3 (3 into Light Blue <4 region), placed vertically; 6-4 (4 into Yellow <5 region), placed vertically; 6-5 (5 into Light Blue Equal region), placed vertically.
5
Step 5: Light Blue Equal + Red >3 + Green >2 + Purple 0 --(Arrows ⑫⑬⑭⑮)
Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (5-5, 4-4, 4-0, 3-0, 0-0). The domino halves in Light Blue Equal must be 5. The domino halves in Purple 0 region must be 0+0+0+0. The answer is 5-5, placed horizontally; 4-0 (4 into Red >3 region), placed vertically; 3-0 (3 into Green >2 region), placed horizontally; 0-0, placed vertically.
6
Step 6: Blue Equal --(Arrows ⑯)
The answer is 4-4, placed horizontally.
🎥 NYT Pips February 13, 2026 (Friday) – Full Solve + Pips Hint Today (Easy 589 / Medium 616 / Hard 639)
If you’re stuck or just want to confirm your approach, this walkthrough includes a full NYT Pips solution
💡 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.
💬 Community Discussion
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