NYT Pips Hint, Answer & Solution for February 2, 2026

Feb 2, 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.

🎲 Today's Puzzle Overview

On Monday, February 2, 2026, NYT Pips kicks off the new week with a thoughtfully designed three-puzzle lineup—a great excuse to slow down, think clearly, and trade ideas with fellow solvers. Mondays aren’t tied to a major holiday, but they’re perfect for a “fresh start” mindset, and today’s puzzles lean right into that rhythm.

Edited by Ian Livengood, today’s set opens with the easy puzzle (ID 592), also constructed by Ian Livengood.

This grid is compact and clean, built around tight sums and small regions that reward careful counting and early eliminations. It’s the kind of puzzle where spotting a quick constraint can unlock the board—ideal for sharing an early Pips Hint or comparing how different solvers approach the same deduction.

The medium puzzle (ID 618) by Rodolfo Kurchan raises the tempo.

Stacked equals regions and strategically placed greater-than clues create overlapping logic paths that invite discussion. This is where collaboration shines: checking assumptions, revisiting placements, and refining your pips hint today strategy as the grid tightens.

The challenge peaks with the hard puzzle (ID 644), also by Rodolfo Kurchan.

Long sum chains, low-value limits, and extended dependencies demand patience and disciplined tracking. It’s a puzzle that rarely yields to brute force—progress comes from sharing insights, testing ideas, and learning from alternative solution paths.

Whether you’re posting hints, comparing full solutions, or just enjoying the process, this Monday NYT Pips puzzle set for February 2, 2026 is built for conversation, discovery, and steady improvement.

Written by Anna

Puzzle Analyst – Lucas

💡 Progressive Hints

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

💡 Hint #1 - Observe

Only 2 domino halves that contain 0 pips (3-0, 2-0), need one for Yellow 0 region.

💡 Hint #1 - Anchor rare high pips first

When a pip value appears only once in the entire set, treat it as a fixed anchor. High-value regions with strict thresholds often force these rare pips immediately.

💡 Hint #2 - Secure equals regions early

Equal regions drastically reduce uncertainty. Placing a double early removes many branching paths and stabilizes nearby constraints.

💡 Hint #3 - Chain deductions across regions

Once a key sum is determined, follow the ripple effect. A forced total can simultaneously lock multiple equal and greater-than regions.

💡 Hint #4 - Use leftovers to satisfy extremes

In the final phase, extreme constraints like very large > regions are usually satisfied by what remains. Check which high combinations are still available and place them decisively.

💡 Hint #1 - Track scarce pips early

When only a few domino halves contain a specific pip value, mark where they must go first. Limited resources like single-pip halves often anchor multiple regions at once.

💡 Hint #2 - Lock high sums before small limits

Resolve large sum regions first to collapse possibilities. Once a high target is fixed, it immediately constrains nearby < or = regions with very few valid combinations.

💡 Hint #3 - Use remaining pip distributions

After placing early anchors, review which pip values are still unplaced. If one sum requires a rare pairing, it often becomes forced by elimination.

💡 Hint #4 - Combine inequality with totals

When a region has both a total and a < constraint nearby, test which pip must be excluded. This frequently forces an unexpected pairing that satisfies both rules.

💡 Hint #5 - Resolve single-option regions immediately

If a region can only accept one remaining pip value, place it without delay. These forced moves prevent overthinking and simplify later chains.

💡 Hint #6 - Build sums from leftovers

Late-game sums are usually built from what remains, not what fits best. Check which domino totals are still possible and assemble regions from necessity, not preference.

💡 Hint #7 - Finish with equal-region cleanup

Equal regions often resolve last. Once all other constraints are satisfied, identical remaining dominoes naturally slot into place without ambiguity.

🎨 Pips Solver

Feb 2, 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

Pips hint for February 2, 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 February 2, 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

Dominoes Include: [5-1], [4-2], [3-3], [3-0], [2-0]. Only 2 domino halves that contain 0 pips, need one for Yellow 0 region.

2

Step 2: Blue 3 + Purple 3 + Red >4 --(Arrows ①②③)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. Only 2 dominoes with 3 pips (3-3, 3-0), therefore, the domino halves in Purple 3 region must be 0+2+1. The answer is 3-0 (3 into Blue 3 region), placed horizontally; 2-4 (4 right into blank), placed horizontally; 1-5 (5 into Red >3 region), placed horizontally.

3

Step 3: Light Blue Equal + Yellow 0 --(Arrows ④⑤)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (3-3, 2-0). The domino halves in Light Blue Equal must be 3. The answer is 3-3, placed vertically; 2-0 (2 into blank, 0 into Yellow 0 region), placed horizontally.

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Medium Level

1

Step 1

Dominoes Include: [6-0], [5-2], [4-2], [3-0], [2-2], [2-1], [1-0]. Only one domino half that contain 4 pips (4-2), 4 pips must placed in Light Blue >8 region.

2

Step 2: Purple Equal --(Arrows ①)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. Need one domino with the same number placed in this region. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally.

3

Step 3: Purple >0 + Green 8 + Yellow Equal + Red Equal --(Arrows ②③④⑤)

Confirmed by all left regions and remaining dominoes. The domino halves in Green 8 must be 5+3, then the domino halves in Yellow Equal must be 0, the domino halves in Red Equal must be 1. The answer is 2-5 (2 into Purple >0 region), placed horizontally; 3-0, placed horizontally; 0-1, placed vertically; 1-2 (2 down into blank), placed vertically.

4

Step 4: Blue >0 + Light Blue >8 --(Arrows ⑥⑦)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (6-0, 4-2). The domino halves in Light Blue >8 region must be 4+6. The answer is 2-4 (2 into Blue >0 region), placed horizontally; 6-0 (0 left into blank), placed horizontally.

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Hard Level

1

Step 1

Dominoes Include: [6-3], [6-2], [5-3], [5-2], [5-0], [4-4], [4-3], [3-3], [3-1], [3-0], [2-2], [2-1], [1-0], [0-0]. Only 3 domino halves that contain 1 pips (3-1, 2-1, 1-0), need one for Middle Red 1 region, need one for Bottom Red 1 region.

2

Step 2: Purple 9 + Red 1 + Purple <2 --(Arrows ①②③)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. Need one domino sum to be 9 placed in this region. The domino halves in Purple <2 region must be 0+0+0+0 or 0+0+0+1 (comfirmed by Arrows ⑨). The answer is 3-6, placed horizontally; 1-0 (1 into Red 1 region), placed vertically; 0-0 (whole domino), placed vertically.

3

Step 3: Yellow 3 + Blue 9 + Green <3 --(Arrows ④⑤)

Confirmed by neighboring region and relative position and remaining dominoes. The dominoes left that contain 3 pips (5-3, 4-3, 3-3, 3-1, 3-0), therefore, the domino halves in Blue 9 region must be 4+5. The answer is 3-4 (3 into Yellow 3 region), placed horizontally; 5-0 (0 into Green <3 region), placed horizontally.

4

Step 4: Light Blue <2 + Blue 9 --(Arrows ⑥⑦)

Confirmed by all left regions and remaining dominoes. Only 3 domino halves left that contain less than 2 pips (3-1, 2-1, 3-0), one 3 pips must placed in Yellow 9 region. Therefore, the domino halves in Blue 9 region must be 2+7 (one domino sum to be 7). The answer is 1-2 (1 into Light Blue <2 region), placed vertically; 2-5 (whole domino sum to be 7), placed vertically.

5

Step 5: Middle Red 1 --(Arrows ⑧)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes. Only one domino left that contain 1 pips (3-1). The answer is 1-3 (3 right into blank), placed horizontally.

6

Step 6: Yellow 9 + Light Blue 9 + Red >4 --(Arrows ⑨⑩⑪⑫)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (6-2, 5-3, 4-4, 3-3, 3-0, 2-2). The domino halves in Yellow 9 must be 3+6. The domino halves in Light Blue 9 region must be 2+4 (one domino sum to be 4)+3. The answer is 0-3 (0 into Purple <2 region), placed vertically; 6-2, placed horizontally; 2-2 (whole domino sum to be 4), placed horizontally; 3-5 (5 into Red >4 region), placed horizontally.

7

Step 7: Green 8 + Purple Equal --(Arrows ⑬⑭)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (4-4, 3-3). The answer is 4-4 (whole domino into Green 8 region), placed vertically; 3-3 (whole domino into Purple Equal region), placed vertically.

🎥 NYT Pips February 2, 2026 – Monday Logic Breakdown | Easy to Hard Pips Hints & Strategy Walkthrough

Share your thoughts, compare approaches, and let’s solve smarter together.

💡 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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