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🎲 Today's Puzzle Overview
Today's NYT Pips easy grid is a shallow deduction graph with two independent footholds. The orange greater-4 square in the top-left corner and the blue greater-4 square in the top-right each cut the candidate set to 5 or 6, and the blue one is fed by a single neighbour — the upper cell of the purple sum 8 pair running down the right side — so one heavy tile resolves that corner and the pair in the same move. From there the chain runs leftwards: the teal equals column needs one pip three times, and once the 2/3 tile spends a 2 in the purple pair, exactly three 2s remain in the tray for it. The two sum 8 pairs then close without branching.
Ian Livengood's medium swaps corner logic for arithmetic. The purple sum 11 pair along the top has a single legal split, 6 and 5, so the heaviest two tiles are committed before anything else can move; the far half of the 6/6 lands in the pink equals pair and drags a matching 6 down through the 6/1 tile into the orange sum 2 pair beneath it. The lower half of the board resolves by exhaustion: all four tiles that carry a 1 — five 1 pips between them — are consumed by the two sum 2 pairs and the pink less 3 pair, while the green and purple sum 4 singletons pin their own values outright. The teal equals pair at the top-right is the last link, closing only after the blue sum 2 pair below it is settled.
Rodolfo Kurchan's hard is a constraint skeleton built on zeros. The teal sum 0 block of four cells and the blue equals block of three are the load-bearing walls: eight zero pips live in the tray, and every one of them is spent — four in the sum 0 block, three in the equals block and one as the upper half of the pink sum 3 pair. That inventory fact drives the opening, with the 0/6, 0/3 and 0/2 standing vertically through the equals block while their partner pips climb into the row above. The rest is perimeter arithmetic — three sum 4 singletons each name their own value, the orange sum 10 pair needs two 5s — and the bottom-left equals block closes as four 2s.
💡 Progressive Hints
Try these hints one at a time. Each hint becomes more specific to help you solve it yourself!
💡 Where the grid speaks first
Begin with the constraints that give a direction rather than a total. The two single cells marked 'greater than', the tall 'equals' column on the left and the free uncoloured square are the places where a pip is narrowed to a handful of candidates before any sum has to be balanced.
💡 The corner with only one neighbour
The blue greater-4 square in the top-right corner admits only a 5 or a 6, and just one cell touches it: the upper cell of the purple sum 8 pair running down the right edge. Whatever spans those two cells must be heavy enough for the corner yet leave the purple pair a partner that adds to 8 — test the heavy tiles in the tray and only one survives. The purple pair's lower cell then becomes a one-step subtraction.
💡 The full easy solution
The 6/6 lies flat across the top-right: its left half is the 6 in the upper cell of the purple sum 8 pair, its right half the 6 in the blue greater-4 square on the edge. The 2/3 stands vertically below that purple 6 — 2 as its upper half in the purple pair's lower cell to finish the sum of 8, 3 as its lower half in the uncoloured square at the bottom-right. The 6/2 lies flat in the top-left, 6 on the left in the orange greater-4 corner and 2 on the right as the top cell of the teal equals column; the 2/2 double stacks vertically beneath it for that column's other two cells. The 3/5 lies flat across the pink sum 8 pair on the top edge, 3 on the left and 5 on the right.
💡 Hunt for one-way arithmetic
Look for the pair of cells whose total can be reached in only a single way, and for the one-cell sums that name their own value outright. The two equals pairs strung along the top are where the heaviest tiles in the tray will settle, and the low sum pairs at the bottom are where the light ones go.
💡 The eleven that splits once
The purple sum 11 pair across the top has exactly one split, using the two heaviest pips in the tray, and both of its cells sit on the top edge where each tile's other half must fall into a neighbouring region — the pink equals pair to the left and the teal equals pair to the right. That single line settles four cells at once, and the pink equals pair immediately tells you what its second cell must repeat.
💡 The full medium solution
The 6/6 lies flat high on the left: 6 in the upper cell of the pink equals pair, 6 in the left cell of the purple sum 11 pair. The 5/2 lies flat beside it: 5 in the purple pair's right cell, 2 as the upper cell of the teal equals pair at the top-right. The 6/1 stands vertically, 6 up in the pink pair's lower cell and 1 down in the orange sum 2 pair's upper cell. The 4/0 stands vertically on the left edge, 4 up in the green sum 4 square, 0 down in the pink less 3 pair's upper cell. The 1/1 double lies flat along the bottom-left, 1 in the less 3 pair's lower cell and 1 in the orange sum 2 pair's lower cell. The 2/1 stands vertically on the right, 2 up in the teal pair's lower cell, 1 down in the blue sum 2 pair's upper cell. The 1/4 lies flat in the bottom-right, 1 in the blue pair's lower cell and 4 in the purple sum 4 square. The 6/3 stands vertically at the right edge, 6 up in the teal greater-3 square, 3 down in the uncoloured square.
💡 Start with absolutes
Open on the regions that name an exact value in a single cell and on the blocks that demand the same pip again and again. The one-cell sums and the big all-equal and all-zero blocks decide the first few tiles before any real addition is needed.
💡 Count the zeros
The teal sum 0 block on the right insists on a zero in every one of its four cells, and the blue equals block on the left has to repeat one pip three times. Count the zero pips in the tray before you place anything: they are the currency both regions spend, and every one of them gets used.
💡 Two equals blocks, one pip each
The blue equals block resolves to zeros, and it takes three zero-bearing tiles standing vertically: the 0/6 with its 6 climbing into the purple sum 6 square above, the 0/3 with its 3 climbing into the lower half of the pink sum 3 pair, and the 0/2 with its 2 dropping into the top of the pink equals block at the bottom-left. Back on the right, the 0/0 double lies flat across the two middle cells of the teal block, the 0/5 stands vertically in its bottom-right cell with the 5 dropping into the top of the right-edge purple sum 8 column, and the block's top-left cell is fed from the pink sum 1 square beside it by the 1/0.
💡 The heavy tiles along the top
Three sum 4 singletons run along the top edge and each simply holds a 4; two of them are supplied by tiles that also fill their row's other cells — the 0/4 lying flat with 4 in the top-left purple square and 0 in the upper half of the pink sum 3 pair, and the 6/4 lying flat with 4 in the teal square and 6 in the orange sum 6 square beside it. The orange sum 10 pair splits 5 and 5 from two vertical tiles: the 5/2 with its 2 rising into the blue less-3 square, and the 4/5 with its 4 rising into the green sum 4 corner.
💡 The full hard solution
Top edge: 0/4 flat with 4 in the purple sum 4 corner and 0 in the pink sum 3 pair's upper cell; 6/4 flat with 4 in the teal sum 4 square and 6 in the orange sum 6 square; 5/2 vertical with 2 up in the blue less-3 square and 5 down in the left cell of the orange sum 10 pair; 4/5 vertical with 4 up in the green sum 4 corner and 5 down in the pair's right cell. Second row: 0/6 vertical, 6 up in the purple sum 6 square, 0 down in the blue equals block's top-left cell; 0/3 vertical, 3 up in the pink sum 3 pair's lower cell, 0 down in the equals block's top-right cell; 1/0 flat with 1 in the pink sum 1 square and 0 in the teal sum 0 block's top-left cell. Lower half: 0/2 vertical with 0 up in the equals block's bottom-left cell and 2 down at the top-left of the pink equals block; 0/0 flat across the teal block's two middle cells; 0/5 vertical with 0 up in the teal block's bottom-right cell and 5 down at the top of the right-edge purple sum 8 column; 1/5 vertical in the centre green sum 6 pair, 1 above and 5 below. Bottom: 2/2 flat with a 2 in each of the pink equals block's bottom-left and bottom-centre cells; 1/2 flat with 2 in the block's bottom-right cell and 1 in the orange less-6 pair's left cell; 4/1 flat with 4 in the less-6 pair's right cell and 1 at the foot of the purple sum 8 column; 2/3 flat with 3 in the teal less-4 square and 2 in the middle of the purple sum 8 column.
🎨 Pips Solver
Nov 8, 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: The top-right corner picks itself
The blue greater-4 square on the top-right edge accepts only a 5 or a 6, and a single cell touches it — the upper cell of the purple sum 8 pair down the right side. Whatever spans those two cells has to be heavy enough for the corner and still leave the purple pair a partner worth 8. Test the candidates: the 6/2 fails because a 2 cannot sit in a corner that demands more than 4; the 3/5 would leave the purple pair needing a second 5 the tray does not own; the 6/6 satisfies both at once. It lies flat, 6 in the purple pair's upper cell and 6 in the corner.
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Step 2: Finish the purple eight
With a 6 on top, the purple pair's lower cell needs a 2. The 2/2 double is off the table — it would bury a second 2 in the uncoloured free square and leave no way to repeat a pip three times elsewhere — so the 2/3 supplies it, standing vertically: 2 as its upper half in the purple pair's lower cell, 3 as its lower half in the uncoloured square at the bottom-right.
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Step 3: The teal equals column
Three cells must share one pip, and after the previous step the tray holds exactly three 2s: the pair locked together on the 2/2 double and the lone 2 on the 6/2. That is the column. The 2/2 double stands vertically across the middle and bottom teal cells, and the 6/2 lies flat with its 2 as the column's top cell.
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Step 4: The orange corner and the pink pair
The 6/2's other half is a 6, and the orange greater-4 corner in the top-left can only be reached from the teal column beside it, so the 6 goes there and that corner is satisfied. The last tile out of the tray is the 3/5, lying flat across the pink sum 8 pair on the top edge — 3 on the left, 5 on the right — and every region now checks.
🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Medium Level
1
Step 1: The eleven that only splits one way
The purple sum 11 pair on the top edge cannot be made except as 6 and 5, so the 6/6 and the 5/2 are both committed immediately. The 6/6 lies flat with 6 in the pink equals pair's upper cell and 6 in the purple pair's left cell; the 5/2 lies flat with 5 in the purple pair's right cell and 2 as the upper cell of the teal equals pair at the top-right.
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Step 2: The pink equals pair answers back
An equals pair must repeat. The pink pair's upper cell already holds 6, so its lower cell needs a 6 as well — the 6/1, standing vertically, supplies it, and its 1 drops into the upper cell of the orange sum 2 pair below.
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Step 3: A 4 and a 0 on the left edge
The green single-cell sum 4 in the left column can only be a 4. The 4/0 stands vertically to provide it: 4 as its upper half in the green square, 0 as its lower half in the upper cell of the pink less 3 pair. That is the tray's only 0, and it is exactly why the less 3 pair can stay under 3.
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Step 4: The right column chains downward
The purple sum 4 square in the bottom-right takes the 4 from the 1/4, lying flat with its 1 to the left in the blue sum 2 pair's lower cell. A total of 2 over two cells with a 1 in it forces the upper cell to 1, supplied by the 2/1 standing vertically — 1 low in the blue pair, 2 high in the teal equals pair's lower cell. Since the teal pair must repeat, and its upper cell already carries the 5/2's 2, the whole right column agrees.
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Step 5: The bottom-left closes
The 1/1 double lies flat along the bottom-left: 1 as the lower cell of the pink less 3 pair and 1 as the lower cell of the orange sum 2 pair, so both regions read correctly. The one tile left in the tray, the 6/3, stands vertically at the right edge with 6 in the teal greater-3 square and 3 in the uncoloured square below.
🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Hard Level
1
Step 1: Sum zero means zero, four times over
The teal sum 0 block — an L-shaped cluster on the right — is the tightest region on the board: its four cells can only reach a total of 0 if every one of them holds a 0. Eight zero pips live in the tray, one on each of the 0/6, 0/3, 0/2, 0/4, 0/5 and 1/0 tiles and two on the 0/0 double, and not one of them can be wasted because every tile must be placed.
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Step 2: The equals block resolves to zeros
The blue equals block on the left repeats one pip across three cells, and it is the second home for those zeros. Three zero-bearing tiles stand vertically through it: the 0/6 with its 6 climbing into the purple sum 6 square above, the 0/3 with its 3 climbing into the lower half of the pink sum 3 pair, and the 0/2 with its 2 dropping into the top-left cell of the pink equals block at the bottom-left.
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Step 3: Finishing the zero block
Back on the right, the 0/0 double lies flat across the teal block's two middle cells, and the 0/5 stands vertically in its bottom-right cell with the 5 dropping into the top of the right-edge purple sum 8 column. The block's remaining top-left cell is fed from the pink sum 1 square beside it: the 1/0 lies flat, 1 on the left inside the one-cell sum and 0 on the right inside the block.
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Step 4: The top edge sorts itself by singles
Three sum 4 singletons sit on the top edge — the purple square in the corner, the teal square, and the green square in the top-right corner — and each simply holds a 4. Two of them are supplied by tiles that also fill their row's other cells: the 0/4 lies flat with 4 on the left in the purple square and 0 on the right in the pink sum 3 pair's upper cell; the 6/4 lies flat with 4 on the left in the teal square and 6 on the right in the orange sum 6 square. The pink sum 3 pair's lower cell already holds the 3 from step 2, and the third 4 comes with the next placement.
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Step 5: The ten in the corner
The orange sum 10 pair on the second row can only be two 5s. The 5/2 stands vertically with its 2 rising into the blue less-3 square — precisely what that cell wants — and its 5 filling the pair's left cell; the 4/5 stands vertically with its 4 rising into the green sum 4 corner in the top-right and its 5 filling the pair's right cell.
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Step 6: The bottom half falls into place
The centre green sum 6 pair takes the 1/5 standing vertically, 1 above and 5 below. The pink equals block at the bottom-left is four 2s: the 0/2's 2 sits in its top-left cell, the 2/2 double lies flat for the bottom-left and bottom-centre cells, and the 1/2 lies flat with 2 in its bottom-right cell and 1 in the left cell of the orange less-6 pair. The 4/1 lies flat to put 4 in that pair's right cell and 1 at the foot of the purple sum 8 column, and the 2/3 lies flat with 3 in the teal less-4 square and 2 in the middle of the purple column, between the 5 above and the 1 below — 5, 2, 1 for a total of 8.
💡 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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