🚨 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!
Click here to play today's official NYT Pips game first.
Want hints instead? Scroll down for progressive clues that won't spoil the fun.
🎲 Today's Puzzle Overview
On Tuesday, February 17, 2026, NYT Pips feels like a carefully composed logic design rather than just a daily puzzle.
Edited by Ian Livengood, today’s set features Easy ID 586, Medium ID 615, and Hard ID 640, with constructors including Ian Livengood and Rodolfo Kurchan. Each grid feels deliberately crafted — from the controlled domino selection to the way equals and sum regions create elegant forced moves.
If you enjoy puzzle design, today is worth slowing down for. Whether you’re looking for the official solution or want thoughtful hints, February 17 is a reminder of how much artistry can hide inside a domino grid.
Written by Mark
Puzzle Analyst – Sophia
💡 Progressive Hints
Try these hints one at a time. Each hint becomes more specific to help you solve it yourself!
💡 Hint #1 - A piece of cake
Just do it
💡 Hint #1 - Identify the Only Doubles Immediately
Before solving any region, scan the domino list for repeat-number pieces. With only two doubles available ([2-2] and [0-0]), any Equal region that requires a matching pair becomes highly constrained and can often be solved early without needing deeper grid deductions.
💡 Hint #2 - Use an Equal Region to Force a High-Value Split
Once Yellow Equal is confirmed to require a double, [2-2] becomes the natural candidate, which also locks in how the nearby Purple >3 region must be satisfied. Pairing a forced double with a >3 constraint quickly determines which side of a domino must carry the larger number.
💡 Hint #3 - Reserve the Remaining Double for the Next Equal Lock
After [2-2] is consumed, the remaining Equal requirement becomes a one-option problem. This is a classic elimination moment: if an Equal region still needs a matching pair and only one double is left in the pool, that placement is guaranteed.
💡 Hint #4 - Solve Equal Regions by Tracking Dominant Numbers
With most doubles gone, Blue Equal must rely on repeated halves instead. The remaining pool makes 5 the only realistic value that can fill the equal cells, which forces [6-5] and then naturally pushes the 6 into the Green >5 region. Equal zones often reveal their value once the pool shrinks.
💡 Hint #5 - Finish With Sum Targets and Directional Constraints
When only a couple dominoes remain, focus on the region targets instead of placement flexibility. Light Blue 4 can only be formed by 4+0, which locks [6-4] into position and forces the leftover [0-1] to satisfy Purple <2. Late-game solving is usually just matching the last valid totals.
💡 Hint #1 - Start With Scarcity Counting (1s and 5s)
Before placing anything, scan the domino pool for rare numbers. Here the 1-pip halves are extremely limited, which forces the Green 1 region to use a very specific combination. At the same time, the heavy concentration of 5s creates a predictable backbone for later equal regions. Also note that Red 6 cannot be solved by a single domino sum, meaning it must be formed by splitting two different dominoes.
💡 Hint #2 - Lock the Equal Region to Force a Chain Reaction
Use the Blue Equal region as the anchor: once it is confirmed as 5, the [5-5] domino becomes mandatory. That single forced placement immediately restricts the remaining 5s and makes the Yellow 9 requirement solvable. This is a classic situation where solving one equal region collapses multiple nearby regions at once.
💡 Hint #3 - Solve Fixed-Sum Regions by Elimination, Not Guessing
With most high-value dominoes already consumed, Red 6 becomes a clean elimination problem. The only workable split is 4+2, which simultaneously confirms placements for Purple Equal by ensuring extra 0s are reserved. When a sum region has only one viable pair left, it becomes a guaranteed placement.
💡 Hint #4 - Use Required Totals to Fill Multi-Cell Regions Efficiently
Green 1 is constrained to 0+0+1, so once one 0 is already committed, the remaining cells become forced. Then Purple 7 can be completed by matching the only remaining low-value structure (1+2+2+2). Large regions often look complex, but their total value requirement usually makes the final pattern inevitable.
💡 Hint #5 - Finish by Completing the Last Equal Value
At the end, Purple Equal becomes a simple leftover check: once all other regions consume their required numbers, only one domino can satisfy the remaining equal condition. The last move is essentially a confirmation step—if your earlier counting was correct, the final placement is automatic.
🎨 Pips Solver
Feb 17, 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: [6-5], [6-0], [5-0], [4-2], [4-0], [1-0].
2
Step 2: Green 5 + Blue 2 + Yellow Equal + Light Blue 1 --(Arrows ①②③)
Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. Only 2 dominoes with 5 pips (6-5, 5-0). The domino halves in Blue 2 region must be 0+2. The domino halves in Yellow Equal region must be 4. The answer is 5-0, placed horizontally; 2-4, placed horizontally; 4-0, placed horizontally.
3
Step 3: Red 12 + Purple Equal --(Arrows ④⑤⑥)
Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (6-5, 6-0, 1-0). The domino halves in Red 12 region must be 6+6. The domino halves in Purple Equal region must be 0. The answer is 5-6 (5 into blank), placed horizontally; 6-0, placed horizontally; 0-1 (1 into blank), placed horizontally.
🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Medium Level
1
Step 1
Dominoes Include: [6-5], [6-4], [6-2], [5-3], [2-2], [1-0], [0-0]. Only 2 dominoes with the same number (2-2, 0-0).
2
Step 2: Purple >3 + Yellow Equal --(Arrows ①②)
Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. Need one domino with the same number placed in Yellow Equal region. The answer is 6-2 (6 into Purple >3 region), placed horizontally; 2-2, placed horizontally.
3
Step 3: Red Equal --(Arrows ③)
Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (6-5, 6-4, 5-3, 1-0, 0-0). Also need one domino with the same number placed in this region. The answer is 0-0, placed horizontally.
4
Step 4: Green >5 + Blue Equal --(Arrows ④⑤)
Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (6-5, 6-4, 5-3, 1-0).The domino halves in Blue Equal region must be 5. The answer is 6-5 (6 into Green >5 region), placed horizontally; 5-3 (3 left into blank), placed horizontally.
5
Step 5: Red >3 + Light Blue 4 + Purple <2 --(Arrows ⑥⑦)
Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (6-4, 1-0).The domino halves in Light Blue 4 region must be 4+0. The answer is 6-4 (6 into Red >3 region), placed horizontally; 0-1 (1 up into Purple <2 region), placed vertically.
🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Hard Level
1
Step 1
Dominoes Include: [6-5], [6-3], [5-5], [5-3], [5-2], [5-0], [4-1], [4-0], [3-2], [3-0], [2-2], [2-0], [1-0]. Only 2 domino halves that contain 1 pips (4-1, 1-0), need one for Green 1 region, the domino halves in Green 1 region must be 0+0+1. Only 6 domino halves that contain 5 pips (6-5, 5-5, 5-3, 5-2, 5-0). No domino sum to be 6, so the domino halves in Red 6 region must come from two different dominoes.
2
Step 2: Blue Equal + Red >3 + Light Blue <3 + Yellow 9 --(Arrows ①②③④⑤⑥)
Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. The domino halves in Blue Equal region must be 5, the whole domino [5-5] must placed in Blue Equla region. Therefore, need one domino sum to be 9 placed in Yellow 9 region. The answer is 5-6 (6 into Red >3 region), placed vertically; 6-3, placed horizontally; 5-0 (0 into Green 1 region), placed horizontally; 5-5, placed horizontally; 5-2 (2 into Light Blue <3 region), placed vertically; 5-3 (3 right into blank), placed horizontally.
3
Step 3: Red 6 + Purple Equal --(Arrows ⑦⑧)
Confirmed by all left regions and remaining dominoes (4-1, 4-0, 3-2, 3-0, 2-2, 2-0, 1-0). The domino halves in Red 6 region must be 4+2. The domino halves in Purple Equal region must be 0 (one 0s come from step 5). The answer is 4-0, placed vertically; 2-0, placed vertically.
4
Step 4: Green 1 + Purple 7 --(Arrows ⑨⑩⑪⑫)
Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (4-1, 3-2, 3-0, 2-2, 1-0). The domino halves in Green 1 region must be 0+0+1 (one 0s already come from Arrows ③). The domino halves in Purple 7 region must be 1+2+2+2. The answer is 1-4 (4 right into blank), placed horizontally; 0-1, placed horizontally; 2-2, placed vertically; 2-3 (3 up into blank), placed vertically.
5
Step 5: Purple Equal --(Arrows ⑬)
The answer is 0-3 (3 right into blank), placed horizontally
🎥 NYT Pips February 17, 2026 (Tuesday) — Full Solution Walkthrough for Easy 586 / Medium 615 / Hard 640
Want a clear walkthrough to improve your logic speed, this February 17 episode is a great one to study.
💡 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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