NYT Pips Hints & Answers for July 13, 2026

Jul 13, 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.

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🎲 Today's Puzzle Overview

Ian Livengood’s easy puzzle greets you with an immediate gift: a less-1 region covering three contiguous cells. You instantly know all three must be zero, which unlocks a neat chain reaction involving an equals pair and a sum-6 doublet. From there, the dominos fall in a clean, linear order, making the solve feel swift and satisfying.

Rodolfo Kurchan’s medium puzzle pivots on a sum-2 region brimming with three cells. The arithmetic forces a double-zero domino and a lone 2, and once you spot that, the grid’s equal and sum constraints cascade outward. You’ll find yourself moving seamlessly from one forced placement to the next, with each step removing just enough uncertainty to keep the momentum.

This NYT Pips hard puzzle by Kurchan stretches the grid and packs the top row with interrelated sum, less, and equals constraints. The top-left sum-4 demands a double-2, which then feeds into a less-1 zero and a sum-3 pair. Meanwhile, a column of three equals cells on the right locks down values in a vertical stack. The puzzle requires you to juggle multiple chains simultaneously, but each solved region hands you the key to its neighbor, creating a rewarding logical weave.

💡 Progressive Hints

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

💡 Spot the Small-Value Rule
Identify the region that forces its cells to be less than 1. This constraint is extremely restrictive, instantly narrowing down what digits can occupy those positions.
💡 Lock Down the Zeroes
The less-than-1 region covers three connected cells across row 2 (columns 1, 2, and 3). Every one of these must be a 0. Once you place them, the domino partners in column 0 will trigger an equals region and a sum-6 pair.
💡 Full Reveal & Logic Path
Place the [0,2] domino to cover [2,1] (0) and [2,0] (2). The equals at [1,0]=[2,0] forces [1,0] to 2, so the [1,2] domino goes [1,1]=1, [1,0]=2. Sum-6 then demands [1,2]=5 from [5,3], putting 3 at [0,2]. The [3,0] domino fills [3,2]=3 (sum-3) and [2,2]=0. Finally, [0,5] finishes [2,3]=0 and [2,4]=5 (greater-3).
💡 Hunt the Ultra-Low Sum
Search for a region where the total is extremely small relative to the number of cells. This will dictate that most cells in that area must be zero, pointing to a special domino.
💡 The Three-Cell Sum-2
The sum-2 region sits in column 2, spanning rows 1 through 3. With three cells summing to just 2, the only viable breakdown is a single 2 and two 0s. Look for the domino that contains two zeros — that's your anchor.
💡 Full Solve Walkthrough
Drop the [0,0] domino at [2,2] and [3,2] (both 0). That forces [1,2] to 2, taken by [5,2] with its 5 going to [1,3]. The equals region [2,0]-[2,1] uses [4,2] (4 and 2), giving [2,1]=4, [3,1]=2; then [2,0] must be 4 from [4,1], placing 1 at [3,0]. Sum-3 [3,1]-[4,1] requires [4,1]=1, so [6,1] goes [4,2]=6, [4,1]=1 (sum-6 satisfied). Top row: [5,5] at [0,0]-[1,0] (equals 5s), [1,3] at [0,1]=1, [0,2]=3 (sum-4).
💡 Cascade of Constraints
The top edge of the hard grid is packed with sum and less-constraints that lock values into a narrow range. Look for the sum-4 pair, the less-2 single, and the sum-8 pair — each will force domino choices with little wiggle room.
💡 Top-Left Anchors
The sum-4 at [0,0]-[0,1] can only be 2+2. The less-1 at [0,4] demands a 0, and the adjacent sum-3 pair [0,2]-[0,3] must add to 3 — likely 1+2. The sum-8 at [0,6]-[1,6] forces a 6 and a 2. These regions pull specific dominos into place.
💡 Unspooling the Top Row
Start with [2,2] at [0,0]-[0,1] (two 2s). Then [2,0] fills [0,3]=2 and [0,4]=0, which leaves [0,2] needing a 1; [1,3] goes there with its 1, placing the 3 at [1,2]. That 3 defines the sum-3 region [1,2]-[2,2] as needing a 0 at [2,2].
💡 The Right-Hand Wall of 4s
Column 7 has an equals region requiring three cells to be identical. With [4,4] at [0,7]-[1,7] (two 4s), the third 4 at [2,7] comes from [5,4], which also drops a 5 at [2,6]. This interacts with the equals rule at [2,6]-[3,6], forcing a 5 there from [5,2] at [3,6]=5 and [3,7]=2.
💡 Complete Placement Guide
Domino [2,2] at [0,0]-[0,1] (2,2); [2,0] at [0,3]-[0,4] (2,0); [1,3] at [0,2]-[1,2] (1,3); [4,0] at [3,2]-[2,2] (4,0); [4,4] at [0,7]-[1,7] (4,4); [5,4] at [2,6]-[2,7] (5,4); [6,2] at [0,6]-[1,6] (6,2); [5,2] at [3,6]-[3,7] (5,2); [2,3] at [4,7]-[4,6] (2,3); [5,1] at [5,2]-[4,2] (5,1); [3,5] at [5,6]-[5,7] (3,5).

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Jul 13, 2026

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✅ 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 July 13, 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 July 13, 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: The Zero Region
The region comprising [2,1], [2,2], and [2,3] demands that every cell be less than 1. Thus all three must be 0. This permanently marks three zeros on the grid.
2
Step 2: Pairing [2,1] with [2,0]
Cell [2,1] must be covered by a domino, and its only adjacent uncovered neighbor is [2,0]. The [0,2] domino fits, with the 0 on [2,1] and the 2 on [2,0]. The equals region links [1,0] to [2,0], so [1,0] also becomes 2.
3
Step 3: Sum-6 and the Domino [1,2]
With [1,0]=2, the domino covering [1,0] must be [1,2] — placing the 2 at [1,0] and its 1 at [1,1]. The sum-6 region covering [1,1] and [1,2] now demands [1,2]=5. The [5,3] domino goes here, 5 to [1,2] and 3 to [0,2].
4
Step 4: Mopping Up Remaining Cells
The [3,0] domino covers [3,2], which must be 3 for its sum-3 region, and [2,2], which is already 0. Finally, the [0,5] domino connects [2,3] (0) with [2,4] (5). The greater-3 constraint at [2,4] is satisfied by the 5.

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Medium Level

1
Step 1: The Three-Cell Sum-2
The region at [1,2], [2,2], [3,2] sums to 2. With three cells, the only way to hit that total is a 2 and two zeros. This immediately tells you two of the cells must be 0 and one must be 2.
2
Step 2: Double-Zero Domino
The only domino containing two zeros is [0,0]. It must cover the two zero cells, so place it at [2,2] and [3,2], both 0. That forces [1,2] to be the 2.
3
Step 3: The Equals Pair and Row 2
The equals region at [2,0] and [2,1] demands both cells have the same pip. The [4,2] domino can place a 4 at [2,1] and a 2 at [3,1]; thus [2,1]=4 forces [2,0]=4. The [4,1] domino then covers [2,0]=4 and [3,0]=1.
4
Step 4: Sum-3 and the [6,1] Domino
Now [3,1] is 2, and the sum-3 region [3,1]-[4,1] needs a total of 3, so [4,1] must be 1. The [6,1] domino supplies a 6 and a 1 — place the 1 at [4,1] and the 6 at [4,2], which handily satisfies the sum-6 region there.
5
Step 5: Top Row Finishing
The equals rule at [0,0]-[1,0] is met by the double-5 domino [5,5] (5 at both spots). The sum-4 region [0,1]-[0,2] uses [1,3] with 1 at [0,1] and 3 at [0,2]. The empty [1,3] takes the 5 from the earlier [5,2] placement.

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Hard Level

1
Step 1: Top-Left Sum-4
The region [0,0]-[0,1] must sum to 4. With pips 0-6, the only equal-sum split is 2+2, so you must place a domino with two 2s. Domino [2,2] fits exactly, setting both cells to 2.
2
Step 2: Less-1 and Sum-3 Cascade
Cell [0,4] has a less-1 constraint, so it’s 0. The adjacent sum-3 region [0,2]-[0,3] needs a total of 3. Domino [2,0] (2 and 0) can cover [0,3] and [0,4] — giving 2 to [0,3] and 0 to [0,4]. Now [0,2] must be 1 to complete the sum-3, so domino [1,3] places its 1 there and its 3 at [1,2].
3
Step 3: Sum-3 at [1,2]-[2,2] and the 4-0 Domino
With [1,2]=3, the sum-3 region [1,2]-[2,2] forces [2,2] to be 0. The [4,0] domino can then cover [3,2] and [2,2], placing 4 and 0 respectively. This sets [3,2]=4, and the sum-5 region [3,2]-[4,2] will later require [4,2]=1.
4
Step 4: Column 7 Equals Group
The equals region [0,7], [1,7], [2,7] demands three identical values. Domino [4,4] provides two 4s at [0,7] and [1,7]. The third 4 at [2,7] must come from the [5,4] domino, which also puts a 5 at [2,6].
5
Step 5: Interlocking Equals and Sum-8
The equals region [2,6]-[3,6] means [3,6] must match [2,6]’s 5. Use the [5,2] domino to place 5 at [3,6] and 2 at [3,7]. Then the sum-4 region [3,7]-[4,7] gets its 2 from [3,7], forcing [4,7] to be 2, supplied by [2,3] (2 at [4,7], 3 at [4,6]). Meanwhile, the sum-8 region [0,6]-[1,6] is satisfied by [6,2] (6 at [0,6], 2 at [1,6]).
6
Step 6: Bottom Row Wrap-Up
The sum-5 at [5,2] (single cell) is simply a 5, provided by [5,1] at [5,2]=5 and [4,2]=1 (completing the sum-5 region with [3,2]’s 4). Finally, the equals region [4,6]-[5,6] needs [5,6]=3, which comes from [3,5] at [5,6]=3 and [5,7]=5 (satisfying the sum-5 at [5,7]).

💡 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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