NYT Pips Hints & Answers for July 4, 2026

Easy: Livengood's 3x5 grid launches with two isolated single-cell sum constraints—a sum‑3 at [1,2] and a sum‑2 at [2,0]—each directly instantiating a domino's pip value and orientation. The sum‑3 seed forces a vertical [3,2] domino that feeds an equals region above, while the sum‑2 key unlocks a three‑cell sum‑3 region through a shared intersection, closing the deduction loop with no ambiguity.

Medium: In today's NYT Pips medium, the same constructor weaves a network of intersecting equals and inequality gates. A three‑cell equals block in the top‑left forces a uniform digit that is resolved by the single less‑2 cell at [2,0] and the sum‑4 singleton at [0,4]; the latter pulls a [5,4] domino that also satisfies an equals pair. This creates a domino cascade where each placement opens the next, from the >4 cell to the multi‑cell sum‑10 anchor at the right.

Hard: Rodolfo Kurchan's hard grid is built on a tightly bound top‑row rhythm: three sum‑4 single cells interleaved with sum‑7 pairs. Because each 4 must be placed by a domino that also covers a partner cell in a sum‑7 pair, the whole row resolves sequentially—the [6,4], [1,4], and [2,4] dominos falling into place. Below, a vertical four‑cell equals column acts as a secondary backbone, channeling 3s from [5,3], [1,3], and [3,3] dominos, while scattered greater‑than and sum gates lock the remaining few moves.

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