🚨 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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🎲 Today's Puzzle Overview
Easy (Ian Livengood) is a five-domino lap that should take about two minutes: ten cells, six regions, four different constraint families and no forks anywhere. Livengood hands you two isolated sum cells that want the same pip — and exactly two tiles in the tray carry it — so the opening move writes itself, and after that each placement feeds straight into the next. If you are new to NYT Pips, treat this as your notation warm-up before the real work starts.
Medium (Rodolfo Kurchan) is where today's bottleneck lives. Seven dominoes on a 4×6 frame, and a single cell on the right edge whose target is the smallest value on the board: that one cell decides a whole tile, which then settles the sum pair in the top-right corner, which then pushes the tray's last big pip onto the pink cell on the left. The centre equals pair is a freebie (it is a double), but the purple column down the left side is the real work — you have to leave the right tiles for it.
Hard (Rodolfo Kurchan) is a proper Sunday-sized board: six by six, fifteen dominoes, eighteen regions, and 15–25 minutes is a fair estimate. The two four-cell equals blocks in the bottom corners are the spine of the whole solve — count the tiles carrying the extreme pips before you place anything, because this tray is unusually generous with zeroes and sixes and those blocks will swallow most of them. The bottleneck is the middle band, where single-cell sums sit shoulder to shoulder with nothing to lean on.
💡 Progressive Hints
Try these hints one at a time. Each hint becomes more specific to help you solve it yourself!
💡 Start where two cells want the same pip
Your entry points are both single-cell sum regions — the purple one near the top-left corner and the pink one on the left edge. Their targets are identical, and exactly two tiles in the tray can supply that pip, so those two cells split the pair between them before anything else can move.
💡 Follow the tile that straddles purple into teal
The tile that fills the purple sum cell lies flat, so its far half lands in the left cell of the teal equals pair. Because the teal pair must match, the right-hand teal cell is immediately forced — and the tile covering that cell carries its other pip down into the top of the blue sum column.
💡 The complete easy layout
The 5/4 lies flat with 5 in the purple sum cell at the top and 4 in the left cell of the teal equals pair. Teal must match, so 4 goes into its right cell — the upper half of the 4/3, standing vertically with its 3 dropping into the top of the blue sum-9 pair. Blue needs 6 more: the 0/6 lies flat, 6 at the bottom of blue, 0 in the lower cell of the green sum-3 pair. Green needs 3: the 0/3 lies flat, 3 in the lower green cell, 0 in the right cell of the orange less-than-3 pair. The last tile, the 5/0, stands vertically — 5 up in the pink sum cell on the left edge, 0 down in the bottom-left corner, closing orange as two zeroes.
💡 The smallest target on the board
Aim for the right-hand edge, where a single-cell sum region carries the lowest target anywhere on the board. Only one tile in the tray can satisfy it outright, so that cell is effectively already filled — and the sum pair stacked above it collapses the moment you use it.
💡 Let the zero pull the corner pair apart
The blue sum-0 cell sits on the right edge, and its partner pip has to go into the lower cell of the purple sum-8 pair just above it. That leaves a 3 for the purple pair's upper cell, coming from the 2/3 lying flat — 3 in the purple pair, 2 in the uncoloured free square immediately to its left.
💡 The complete medium layout
The 0/5 lies flat: 0 in the blue sum-0 cell on the right edge, 5 in the lower cell of the purple sum-8 pair. Above it the 2/3 lies flat, 2 in the top-right uncoloured free square and 3 in the purple pair's upper cell. The orange equals pair across the centre is the 2/2 double, flat, 2 in both cells. The pink greater-2 cell takes the 5 of the 5/1 standing vertically, its 1 dropping into the bottom-left free square. Top-left, the 1/2 lies flat — 1 in the top of the purple sum-10 column, 2 in the teal greater-1 cell — and the 3/6 stands vertically beneath it, 3 in the middle and 6 at the bottom of that column. The 4/1 finishes along the bottom-right: 4 in the green sum-5 pair's left cell, 1 in its right.
💡 Two constraint families decide it
Everything starts from the single cell with the smallest sum target, tucked in the top-right corner, and from the two four-cell equals blocks sitting in the bottom corners. Before you place a single tile, count how many dominoes in the tray carry the extreme pips — that count is the key that unlocks the whole board.
💡 Four zeroes, two homes
Exactly four tiles in the tray carry a zero, and the board has exactly two places that want them: the sum-0 corner cell and the four-cell purple equals block bottom-left. Only the 6/0 can serve the corner without starving the block — its 6 lands in the top-right cell of the blue sum-13 cluster.
💡 Both equals blocks fall into place
The purple block bottom-left is all zeroes: the 0/0 double stands vertically in its left column, the 2/0 lies flat across its top row pushing a 2 into the pink sum-2 cell, and the 0/3 lies flat along its bottom row pushing a 3 into the blue greater-2 cell. At the other corner, the orange equals block takes the 6s — the 6/6 stands vertically in the right column, with 6s from the 4/6 and the 6/5 whose partners 4 and 5 sit just to the left in the teal sum-4 cell and the green greater-4 cell.
💡 The left edge locks, then pink 13 opens
The pink sum-4 single cell on the left edge can only be covered from above, and only the 4/5 fits: standing vertically it puts 4 down in the pink cell and 5 up in the green sum-5 cell. That frees the big pink sum-13 column — the 6/3 stands vertically below the top row (6 in the middle, 3 at the bottom), so the column's top cell needs a 4, which is exactly the 1/4 lying flat along the top edge: 1 in the purple sum-1 corner, 4 in the pink column.
💡 The complete hard layout
Top edge: 1/4 flat — 1 in the purple sum-1 corner, 4 in the pink sum-13 column's top cell; 1/3 flat in the teal sum-4 pair (1 left, 3 right); 6/0 flat with 0 in the orange sum-0 corner and 6 in the top-right cell of the blue sum-13 block. Row two: 4/5 vertical — 5 up in the green sum-5 cell, 4 down in the pink sum-4 cell; 6/3 vertical below the pink column's top cell (6 middle, 3 bottom); 6/2 flat with 2 left in the purple sum-2 cell and 6 right into the blue block; 5/1 vertical — 1 up in the blue block's lower-right cell, 5 down in the teal greater-4 cell. Middle: 2/4 flat with 4 left in the orange sum-4 cell and 2 right in the blue sum-2 cell; 1/2 flat in the green less-than-4 pair (2 left, 1 right). Bottom-left: 0/0 vertical in the purple equals block's left column, 2/0 flat with 0 inside the block and 2 in the pink sum-2 cell, 0/3 flat with 0 inside the block and 3 in the blue greater-2 cell. Bottom-right: 4/6 flat with 4 in the teal sum-4 cell and 6 in the orange equals block, 6/6 vertical in that block's right column, 6/5 flat with 5 in the green greater-4 cell and 6 in the block.
🎨 Pips Solver
Nov 15, 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
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: Two cells, one shared pip
The purple sum cell near the top-left corner and the pink sum cell on the left edge carry the same target, and only the 5/4 and the 5/0 in the tray hold that pip. Neither cell can borrow from the other, so each claims one tile — and nothing else on the board can move until that pair is spent.
2
Step 2: Teal's matching pair forces the corner
The 5/4 lies flat, dropping its 4 into the left cell of the teal equals pair on the top-right. Equals means the right-hand teal cell must match, and the only tile that can put that same pip there while reaching down into the blue column is the 4/3, standing vertically: 4 up in teal, 3 down in the upper cell of the blue sum-9 pair.
3
Step 3: Blue asks for six
Blue already has its 3 on top, so the lower cell needs 6. With the 5/4, 5/0 and 4/3 spoken for, only the 0/6 carries a 6 — lay it flat so the 6 sits at the foot of the blue pair and the 0 goes into the upper cell of the green sum-3 pair.
4
Step 4: Green, orange and the last vertical
Green's remaining cell needs 3, which is the right half of the 0/3 lying flat from green into orange; its 0 lands in the orange pair's right cell, already under the less-than-3 limit. The final tile, the 5/0, stands vertically on the left edge — 5 up in the pink sum cell, 0 down in the bottom-left corner — giving orange two zeroes and closing the grid.
🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Medium Level
1
Step 1: The zero cell on the right edge
The blue sum-0 cell can only read 0, and the 0/5 is the tray's sole zero-carrier. It lies flat: 0 in the blue cell on the right edge, 5 in the lower cell of the purple sum-8 pair immediately beside it.
2
Step 2: Purple's corner pair splits
Purple's upper cell now owes 3. Two tiles hold a 3 — the 3/6 and the 2/3 — but the 6 is needed for the purple column further left, so the 2/3 lies flat: 2 into the top-right uncoloured free square, 3 into the purple pair.
3
Step 3: The centre is one double
The orange equals pair across the middle of the board needs two matching pips from two different tiles, and the tray's only double, the 2/2, covers both cells end to end. Lay it flat and the centre is done in a single move.
4
Step 4: The last big pip lands in pink
With the 0/5 used, the tray's only remaining 5 sits on the 5/1. The pink greater-2 cell needs something comfortably above 2, so stand the 5/1 vertically: the 5 goes into pink, and the 1 drops into the bottom-left uncoloured free square.
5
Step 5: Left column and the bottom-right pair
The 1/2 lies flat along the top-left — 1 in the top of the purple sum-10 column, 2 in the teal greater-1 cell. That leaves 9 across the column's two lower cells, exactly the 3/6 standing vertically (3 middle, 6 bottom). The last tile, the 4/1, lies flat along the bottom-right: 4 in the green sum-5 pair's left cell, 1 in its right.
🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Hard Level
1
Step 1: Count the zeroes, then take the corner
The orange sum-0 cell in the top-right corner must read 0, and the purple equals block bottom-left needs four matching pips. The tray holds exactly four zero-carrying tiles — 6/0, 0/3, 2/0 and the 0/0 double — and only the 6/0 can feed the corner while still leaving four zeroes for the block. Lay it flat along the top edge: 0 in the corner, 6 in the top-right cell of the blue sum-13 block.
2
Step 2: The purple equals block reads zero
All four of its cells take 0. The 0/0 stands vertically in the block's left column, while the other two keep their zeroes inside the block and push their partners out: the 2/0 lies across the top row, sending a 2 into the pink sum-2 cell, and the 0/3 lies along the bottom row, sending a 3 into the blue greater-2 cell.
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Step 3: The bottom-right block takes the sixes
The orange equals block is covered by the 6/6 standing vertically in its right column, plus 6s from the 4/6 and the 6/5. Both lie flat with their other halves pointing left — the 4 into the teal sum-4 cell, the 5 into the green greater-4 cell — so the block locks in as four sixes.
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Step 4: The left edge, then the pink column
The pink sum-4 single cell on the left edge can only be covered from above, and only the 4/5 fits: standing vertically it puts 4 down in pink and 5 up in the green sum-5 cell. Now the pink sum-13 column — the 6/3 stands vertically under the top row (6 middle, 3 bottom), leaving 4 for the top cell, supplied by the 1/4 lying flat along the top edge: 1 in the purple sum-1 corner, 4 in the pink column.
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Step 5: Close the blue block from the right
The teal greater-4 cell at the right edge takes the 5 of the 5/1, standing vertically so its 1 completes the blue sum-13 block — 6 in the corner cell, 6 in the lower-left, 1 in the lower-right. Just left of that block, the purple sum-2 cell takes the 2 of the 6/2 lying flat, its 6 joining the blue block.
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Step 6: Three flat tiles finish the board
The 1/3 lies flat in the top teal sum-4 pair (1 left, 3 right); the 2/4 lies flat along the left-hand side, 4 in the orange sum-4 cell and 2 in the blue sum-2 cell beside it; and the 1/2 lies flat on the right, 2 in the green less-than-4 pair's left cell and 1 in its right. Every region is satisfied.
💡 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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