NYT Pips Hint, Answer & Solution for January 1, 2026

Jan 1, 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!

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

Kick off the Daily Domino Puzzle on Thursday, January 1, 2026, and welcome the New Year with a shared logic challenge that’s all about fresh starts and clear thinking 🎉

As the first puzzle of the year drops, it’s a great moment to slow down after the celebrations and let your mind focus on patterns, numbers, and smart placements.

With easy, medium, and hard grids, today’s puzzle naturally invites discussion—compare solution paths, exchange pips hints, and spot how different strategies lead to the same clean finish.

Sometimes one small pips hint today is all it takes for everything to click.

Edited by Ian Livengood, and featuring puzzles constructed by Ian Livengood (easy) and Rodolfo Kurchan (medium and hard), this New Year edition feels carefully balanced: welcoming for newcomers, yet deeply satisfying for experienced solvers.

It’s less about rushing to the answer and more about enjoying the logic, noticing the constraints, and appreciating how each domino earns its place.

Community energy, thoughtful analysis, and that rewarding “aha” moment are all part of today’s experience.

Jump in, share how you approached the puzzle, and start 2026 with a solution that feels genuinely earned.

Happy New Year

Written by Ander

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 - Lock High Sums with Limited Combos

When multiple regions share the same high target (like 10), list all valid pip combinations first. If options collapse to just two patterns (6+4 or 5+5), use neighboring constraints to eliminate one quickly.

💡 Hint #2 - Exploit Extreme Constraints Early

Regions with inequality rules or repeated pips are powerful anchors. A <3 region often forces zeros, while a sum like 6 made of three cells can immediately lock into repeated low pips.

💡 Hint #3 - Reserve the Obvious Double

If a sum region exactly matches a remaining double (such as 10 = 5+5), hold it until the end. Once other regions are resolved, the double becomes a forced and satisfying final placement.

💡 Hint #1 - Inventory Scan & Double Control

Start by counting all available dominoes and marking the doubles. Each double (x-x) appears only once, so treat them as high-value constraints that will strongly limit equal regions later.

💡 Hint #2 - Singles First, Equals Collapse

When regions demand small fixed values (like 1 or 2), place dominoes containing rare pips immediately. Use leftover single-pip options to force Equal regions into a single pip value.

💡 Hint #3 - Targeted Sum Lock-In

Once most regions are constrained, focus on sum targets. If only one pip value can satisfy an Equal region, lock it in and let that force placements into adjacent sum or blank cells.

💡 Hint #4 - Equal vs Equal Separation

When two Equal regions touch, compare remaining high pips. Assign larger pips to the region that has fewer placement options to avoid dead ends.

💡 Hint #5 - Finish with Forced Doubles

In the endgame, remaining Equal regions usually collapse into doubles. If only one pip value remains viable, the final placements become forced and the puzzle resolves cleanly.

🎨 Pips Solver

Jan 1, 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 January 1, 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 January 1, 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: [5-2], [5-1], [3-0], [1-0].

2

Step 2: Purple Equal + Red <2 + Light Blue 3 + Yellow 3 --(Arrows ①②③④)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. The domino halves in Purple Equal region must be 5. The domino halves in Light Blue 3 region must be 2+0+1. The answer is 5-1 (1 into Red <2 region), placed horizontally; 5-2, placed horizontally; 3-0 (3 into Yellow 3 region), placed vertically; 1-0 (0 up into blank), placed vertically.

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Medium Level

1

Step 1

Dominoes Include: [6-3], [6-2], [6-0], [5-5], [4-2], [4-0], [2-0]. The three Number 10 regions must be 6+4 or 5+5. The domino halves in Light Blue 6 region must be 2+2+2. The domino halves in Purple <3 region must be 0+0.

2

Step 2: Purple <3 + Blue 6 + Green 10 + Light Blue 6 + Red 10 --(Arrows ①②③④⑤⑥)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. The domino halves in Purple <3 region must be 0+0. The domino halves in Green 10 region must be 4+6. The domino halves in Light Blue 6 region must be 2+2+2. The domino halves in Red 10 region must be 4+6.The answer is 0-6 (6 into Blue 6 region), placed horizontally; 0-4 (4 into Green 10 region), placed horizontally; 6-2 (6 into Green 10 region), placed vertically; 2-4 (4 into Red 10 region), placed horizontally; 2-0 (0 up into blank), placed vertically; 6-3 (6 into Red 10 region, 3 right into blank), horizontally.

3

Step 3: Yellow 10 --(Arrows ⑦)

The answer is 5-5 (whole domino into Yellow 10 region), placed horizontally.

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Hard Level

1

Step 1

Dominoes Include: [6-4], [6-2], [6-1], [5-5], [5-2], [5-0], [4-4], [4-0], [2-2], [2-1], [1-0], [0-0].

2

Step 2: Red 2 + Purple 1 + Green 1 + Blue Equal --(Arrows ①②③)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. Each double domino (such as 5-5, 4-4, 2-2, 0-0) appears only once. Therefore, the answer is 2-1 (2 into Red 2 region, 1 into Purple 1 region), placed horizontally. Confirmed by the left dominoes with 1 pips (6-1, 1-0), the domino halves in Blue Equal region must be 0. The answer is 1-0 (1 into Green 1 region), placed horizontally; 0-0, placed horizontally.

3

Step 3: Light Blue 6 + Yellow Equal --(Arrows ④⑤⑥)

Confirmed by all left regions and remaining dominoes (6-4, 6-2, 6-1, 5-5, 5-2, 5-0, 4-4, 4-0, 2-2). The domino halves in Yellow Equal region must be 2. The answer is 6-2 (6 into Light Blue 6 region), placed vertically; 2-2, placed horizontally; 2-5 (5 down into blank), placed vertically.

4

Step 4: Light Blue Equal + Purple Equal --(Arrows ⑦⑧⑨⑩)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (6-4, 6-1, 5-5, 5-0, 4-4, 4-0). The domino halves in Light Blue Equal region must be 4. The domino halves in Purple Equal region must be 6. The answer is 0-4 (0 into Blue Equal region), placed vertically; 4-4, placed horizontally; 4-6, placed vertically; 6-1 (1 left into blank), placed horizontally.

5

Step 5: Red Equal --(Arrows ⑪⑫)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (5-5, 5-0). The domino halves in this region must be 5. The answer is 5-5, placed horizontally; 5-0 (0 down into blank), placed vertically.

🎥 Daily Domino Puzzle – January 1, 2026 | New Year Logic Breakdown & Pips Hint Walkthrough

This New Year’s puzzle is a great example of how small constraints guide the entire board.

💡 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.

🎓 Keep Learning & Improve

🧠 Strategy Guide

Master the core techniques to solve any Pips puzzle, no matter the difficulty.

🎮 How to Play

New to Pips? Learn all the rules and conditional regions in minutes.

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💬 Community Discussion

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