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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
On Friday, February 27, 2026, the daily puzzle lineup brings our community together for another round of logic and fun!
Edited by Ian Livengood, today’s set features Easy ID 606 crafted by Ian Livengood, Medium ID 631 by Rodolfo Kurchan, and Hard ID 657 also by Rodolfo Kurchan. From clever equals regions to tight sum constraints and carefully placed dominoes, each grid invites you to think, collaborate, and compare notes.
Whether you’re just warming up with a handful of dominoes or diving deep into the toughest challenge, this puzzle day is all about sharing hints, celebrating breakthroughs, and posting your solution with pride.
Written by Joe
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 - So easy
Just do it.
💡 Hint #1 - Identify Forced Global Placements
Start by spotting absolute constraints. All 6s must go into the blank area, immediately fixing where every 6-containing domino will be oriented. At the same time, notice that 2-2 is structurally forced along the boundary between Purple 4 and Light Blue 3, anchoring the middle of the grid before any sums are resolved.
💡 Hint #2 - Clear the Blank to Release Pressure
Since every 6 must be placed in the blank, complete that region in one sweep. Placing 6-6, 6-1, and 6-2 vertically not only satisfies the blank but also feeds required 1 and 2 values directly into adjacent regions, setting up later exact totals.
💡 Hint #3 - Resolve Exact Totals with Remaining Small Values
With all 6s removed from consideration, only small pips remain. Green 2 must use 2+0, Light Blue 3 becomes 1+2, Purple 4 locks into 2+2, and Red 2 completes as 1+1. Limited inventory and previously placed halves make each total uniquely determined.
💡 Hint #4 - Finish Using Inequality Filters
In the final step, apply the <2 and <6 constraints to the last domino. The 1 must enter Yellow <2, leaving 3 to satisfy Blue <6. With all other regions resolved, inequality rules alone determine the final placement.
💡 Hint #1 - Map Global Pip Requirements First
Begin by analyzing the full domino pool against the most restrictive regions. Purple Not Equal must contain all digits 0–6 exactly once, immediately reserving one of each pip. At the same time, track that only three 6s exist (two needed for Blue 12) and that every 0 is heavily demanded by Red 0, Light Blue 0, and Purple Not Equal. Identifying these global shortages forces early commitments such as locking the only 5 (5-0) into Purple Not Equal and reserving 1-1 for Red 3.
💡 Hint #2 - Protect Scarce Zeros When Choosing the 3-Sum
When solving Light Blue 3, compare the two possible sums (3-0 or 2-1) against remaining zero supply. Since zeros are already overcommitted to multiple regions, using another 0 would create a shortage. Therefore, selecting 2-1 preserves critical 0s for the regions that cannot function without them.
💡 Hint #3 - Resolve Zero and Small Totals in a Cluster
Address Red 0, Yellow 3, Green 6, and Light Blue 0 together. Red 0 consumes pure zeros, Yellow 3 must be 2+1 based on availability, and Green 6 locks into 3+3. Handling these interconnected low and mid totals simultaneously ensures zeros and matching pairs are distributed without conflict.
💡 Hint #4 - Allocate Remaining 6s to Secure High Totals
With small values stabilized, assign the scarce 6s. Blue 12 must use 6+6, while Purple 6 becomes 4+2 from the remaining pool. Carefully tracking which 6-containing dominoes remain prevents duplication errors and keeps Purple Not Equal viable.
💡 Hint #5 - Complete the Unique Set by Elimination
Finish by resolving Red 3 and the full 0–6 requirement of Purple Not Equal. With 1-1 fixed into Red 3 and one 1 already placed, the remaining digits must fill the unique set without repetition. At this stage, strict inventory tracking and the non-repetition rule force the final placements deterministically.
🎨 Pips Solver
Feb 27, 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], [6-3], [6-0], [5-5], [3-2].
2
Step 2: Yellow Equal --(Arrows ①②)
Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. The domino halves in this region must be 5. The answer is 5-5, placed horizontally; 5-6, placed vertically.
3
Step 3: Red <2 + Purple Equal + Light Blue 6 --(Arrows ③④⑤)
Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (6-3, 6-0, 3-2). The domino halves in Purple Equal must be 6. The domino halves in Light Blue 6 must be 3+3. The answer is 0-6 (0 into Red <2 region), placed horizontally; 6-3, placed vertically; 3-2 (2 down into blank), placed vertically.
🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Medium Level
1
Step 1
Dominoes Include: [6-6], [6-2], [6-1], [3-1], [2-2], [2-1], [1-0]. All 6 pips must placed in blank. [2-2] must placed in the boundary between Purple 4 region and Light Blue 3 region.
2
Step 2: Blank --(Arrows ①②③)
Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. The domino halves in Blank must be 6. The answer is 6-6, placed vertically; 6-1 (1 into Red 2 region), placed vertically; 6-2 (2 into Green 2 region), placed vertically.
3
Step 3: Green 2 + Light Blue 3 + Purple 4 + Red 2 --(Arrows ④⑤⑥)
Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (3-1, 2-2, 2-1, 1-0). The domino halves in Green 2 region must be 2+0 (2s already come from Arrows ③). The domino halves in Light Blue 3 region must be 1+2. The domino halves in Purple 4 region must be 2+2. The domino halves in Red 2 region must be 1+1 (one 1s already come from Arrows ②). The answer is 0-1, placed vertically; 2-2, placed vertically; 2-1, placed horizontally.
4
Step 4: Yellow <2 + Blue <6 --(Arrows ⑦)
The answer is 1-3 (1 into Yellow <2 region, 3 into Blue <6 region), placed horizontally.
🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Hard Level
1
Step 1
Dominoes Include: [6-3], [6-2], [6-1], [5-0], [4-2], [4-1], [4-0], [3-1], [3-0], [2-1], [2-0], [1-1], [0-0]. The domino halves in Purple Not Equal region must be 0+1+2+3+4+5+6. Only 3 domino halves that contain 6 pips (6-3, 6-2, 6-1), need two for Blue 12 region, need one for Purple Not Equal region. Only 6 domino halves that contain 0 pips (5-0, 4-0, 3-0, 2-0, 0-0), need four for Red 0 region, need one for Light Blue 0 region, need one for Purple Not Equal region. Only one domino with 5 pips (5-0), [5-0] must placed in Purple Not Equal region. The domino halves in Red 3 region must be 1+1+1, [1-1] must placed in this region.
2
Step 2: Light Blue 3 --(Arrows ①)
Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. Need one domino sum to be 3 (3-0, 2-1) placed in this region. No more enough 0 pips for this region. Therefore, the answer is 2-1, placed vertically.
3
Step 3: Red 0 + Yellow 3 + Green 6 + Light Blue 0 --(Arrows ②③④⑤)
Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes. The domino halves in Red 0 region must be 0 (one 0s come from step 4). The domino halves in Yellow 3 must be 2+1. The domino halves in Green 6 must be 3+3. The answer is 0-0, placed horizontally; 0-2, placed vertically; 1-3, placed vertically; 3-0, placed vertically.
4
Step 4: Purple 6 + Blue 12 --(Arrows ⑥⑦⑧)
Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (6-3, 6-2, 6-1, 5-0, 4-2, 4-1, 4-0, 1-1). The domino halves in Purple 6 region must be 4+2. The domino halves in Blue 12 must be 6+6. The domino halves in Green 6 must be 3+3. The answer is 0-4 (0 into Red 0 region), placed horizontally; 2-6, placed vertically; 6-1 (1 into Purple Not Equal region), placed vertically.
5
Step 5: Red 3 + Purple Not Equal --(Arrows ⑨⑩⑪⑫⑬)
Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (6-3, 5-0, 4-2, 4-1, 1-1). The domino halves in Red 3 region must be 1+1+1. The domino halves in Purple Not Equal must be 0+1+2+3+4+5+6 (1s already come from Arrows ⑧). The answer is 1-4, placed vertically; 1-1, placed vertically; 6-3, placed vertically; 5-0, placed horizontally; 2-4 (4 right into blank), placed horizontally.
🎥 NYT Pips February 27, 2026 (Friday) — Full Solve & Strategy Breakdown | IDs 606, 631, 657 Explained
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💡 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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