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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
Ian Livengood's NYT Pips easy is a ten-cell sliver of seven regions, and its deduction graph opens on two isolated footholds rather than a chain. The purple sum-3 cell in the top-left corner has exactly one neighbour, so it collapses into a single domino half on sight; the teal greater-than-8 pair along the top-right is just as tight, because its right-hand cell touches nothing else and the pair can only be covered by one tile — and only the heaviest domino in the tray can push two cells past 8. From there the two equals regions (the pink vertical pair and the blue horizontal pair) plus the orange greater-than-4 cell act as rails: each single-cell constraint fixes one half of a domino, the equality drags the matching half home, and the free uncoloured square and the green less-than-3 cell simply absorb the leftovers.
Ian Livengood's medium widens to sixteen cells and eight regions, and the graph gets noticeably more connected. The orange equals run of three across the top-right is the only multi-cell equality on the board and the strongest constraint going: three cells must agree on one pip, which the tray can supply only by pooling a matching double with a stray single. The two purple greater-than-4 cells — one on the top edge, one on the right edge — are the other hard anchors, and with no 6 anywhere in the tray both are pinned by the ceiling rather than by arithmetic, which then decides where each tile's partner half falls. Everything after that is sum arithmetic: the teal sum-2 pair and the pink less-than-2 cell upstream, then the blue sum-5, green sum-7 and bottom pink sum-2 pairs downstream, with the free uncoloured square's two cells soaking up the remainders.
Rodolfo Kurchan's hard is a different animal: a thirty-two-cell grid carved into thirty sum regions, twenty-eight of them single cells, so most of the board simply announces its own value. The tension comes from pips in short supply. A lone 6 rides the 3/6 tile, and only the green sum-10 pair and the pink sum-9 pair have targets big enough to host it — every other region caps at 5. Five sum-0 cells are fixed at 0 before anything moves and five sum-1 cells at 1; after that it is propagation, with each fixed cell deciding the orientation of the tile that reaches it until only the 3/6's direction is left to argue about.
💡 Progressive Hints
Try these hints one at a time. Each hint becomes more specific to help you solve it yourself!
💡 Read the constraint types before the pips
Three families are doing the work on this board: single-cell sums that name their own value, single-cell greater/less tests that fence a range, and two equals regions that force a repeated pip. Start wherever a region has just one neighbouring region — a cell like that can only ever be covered by one half of one tile, and this tray is small enough that the arithmetic closes almost at once.
💡 Lock the top-right pair, then the corner
The teal greater-than-8 pair along the top-right is your first lock: its right-hand cell touches nothing else, so a single tile must cover both teal cells, and only the tray's lone double — the 5/5 — sums past 8. Lay it flat, 5 in each. The purple sum-3 cell in the top-left corner comes next: it also has a single neighbour, and only one tile in the tray carries a 3, so that tile's other half is the 2 that lands in the pink equals cell beside it.
💡 Full layout: both equal-pairs fall out
The 5/5 lies flat across the teal greater-than-8 pair, 5 in each cell. The 3/2 runs across the top-left corner: 3 in the purple sum-3 cell, 2 in the upper cell of the pink equals pair. That forces the second 2 into the lower pink cell, so the 2/4 lies flat — 2 in the lower pink cell, 4 in the free uncoloured square to its right. Along the bottom, the orange greater-than-4 cell needs the tray's only 6: the 6/2 goes 6 in the orange cell, 2 in the left-hand blue cell. The blue equals pair then repeats 2 in its right-hand cell, leaving 0 for the green less-than-3 cell — the 2/0 finishes the row, 2 on the left, 0 on the right.
💡 Two anchor types: a lone greater cell and the equals run
Ignore the sums for a moment and find the two constraints that bite hardest. One is a single greater-than cell sitting on an outer edge, where the tray's ceiling — not the arithmetic — decides the value. The other is the one equals run of three, where a single repeated pip has to stretch across three cells at once. The little sum-2 and less-than-2 regions upstream only resolve once those two anchors are settled.
💡 The right edge commits to 5, the run commits to 4
The tray holds nothing above 5, so the purple greater-than-4 cell on the right edge is a 5, and the 5/4 is the tile that fits: 5 in the purple cell, 4 stepping left into the green sum-7 pair. Now read the orange equals run of three across the top-right — the 4/4 double sits inside it, filling the two rightmost cells, and a third 4 arrives from the left on the 0/4, whose 0 drops into the right-hand cell of the teal sum-2 pair.
💡 Full layout
The 5/4 lies flat on the right edge with 5 in the purple greater-than-4 cell and 4 in the green sum-7's right-hand cell; the 3/0 stands vertically just left of it, 3 as the upper half in the green pair's left cell, 0 as the lower half in the right-hand cell of the bottom pink sum-2 pair. The 4/4 covers the two rightmost cells of the orange equals run, and the 0/4 lies flat with 0 in the right-hand teal cell and 4 in the run's leftmost cell. Up in the top-left, the 2/1 lies flat with 1 in the pink less-than-2 cell and 2 in the teal pair's left cell. Middle and bottom: the 3/2 stands vertically, 3 upper in the right-hand blue sum-5 cell and 2 lower in the left-hand pink sum-2 cell; the 2/4 lies flat with 2 in the blue pair's left cell and 4 in the lower free uncoloured cell beside it; and the 3/5 runs across the top with 3 in the free uncoloured cell and 5 in the top-edge purple greater-than-4 cell.
💡 It's all sums — watch the pip supply
Every region on this board is a sum, so the constraint type never varies; what varies is how many of each pip the tray can spare. Fix your eye on the scarcities: the single 6, the repeated 0s and 1s, and the handful of regions whose target already names the exact pip that must land in them. Those decide the whole grid.
💡 Find the only home for the 6
The tray's only 6 rides on the 3/6 tile, and a single-cell sum region can never hold more than its own target — so the 6 has just two candidate homes, the green sum-10 pair in the upper middle and the pink sum-9 pair down in the bottom-right, and only the green pair takes it in the end. Meanwhile the five sum-0 cells — along the right edge, in the centre and along the bottom — are all 0 before you place anything.
💡 The 3/6 has a direction
If the 6 sat in the left-hand cell of the green sum-10 pair, its 3 would have to land on one of that cell's neighbours — all of them sum-1 or sum-2 cells. So the 3/6 stands vertically: 6 as the lower half in the green pair's right-hand cell, 3 as the upper half in the pink sum-3 cell above. The 4 that completes the 10 is walled in too — the purple sum-2 cell at the top-left has only one open neighbour, because its other side already holds that 3 — so the 2/4 stands vertically as well: 2 upper in the purple cell, 4 lower in the green pair.
💡 Ones march down the left edge
The blue sum-1 cell at the top of the left edge has exactly one free neighbour, the orange sum-4 cell beneath it, so the 1/4 stands vertically — 1 upper, 4 lower. A couple of cells further down the same edge, the orange sum-1 and blue sum-1 cells cannot share a tile (this tray holds no 1/1), so the orange one takes its own sum-3 neighbour below on the 1/3, while the blue one takes the 1/2 upward — 2 into the blue sum-2 cell above it, 1 staying put.
💡 Full layout, tile by tile
The 3/6 stands vertically in the upper middle: 3 as the upper half in the pink sum-3 cell, 6 as the lower half in the right-hand cell of the green sum-10 pair. The 2/4 stands vertically beside it: 2 upper in the purple sum-2 cell, 4 lower in the green pair's left-hand cell. Across the top, the 2/3 lies flat with 2 in the teal sum-2 cell and 3 in the orange sum-3 cell at the top-right corner; the 3/4 lies flat below with 4 in the pink sum-4 cell and 3 in the teal sum-3 cell at the far right. Down the left edge: the 1/4 stands vertically with 1 upper in the blue sum-1 cell at the top and 4 lower in the orange sum-4 cell beneath it; the 1/2 stands vertically with 2 upper in the blue sum-2 cell on the left and 1 lower in the blue sum-1 cell below; the 1/3 stands vertically with 1 upper in the orange sum-1 cell on the left edge and 3 lower in the orange sum-3 cell at the bottom-left corner. The 1/5 stands vertically with 5 upper in the purple sum-5 cell in the upper middle and 1 lower in the purple sum-1 cell beneath it. On the right: the 0/2 lies flat with 2 in the pink sum-2 cell and 0 in the upper of the two teal sum-0 cells on the right edge; the 0/3 stands vertically with 0 upper in the second teal sum-0 cell on that edge and 3 lower in the pink sum-3 cell at the bottom-right corner. Through the centre: the 0/4 stands vertically with 4 upper in the green sum-4 cell and 0 lower in the green sum-0 cell directly beneath it; the 4/5 lies flat with 5 in the purple sum-5 cell in the centre and 4 in the upper cell of the pink sum-9 pair to its right; the 0/5 stands vertically with 5 upper in the lower cell of that pink sum-9 pair and 0 lower in the green sum-0 cell at the bottom-right. Along the bottom: the 0/1 lies flat with 0 in the green sum-0 cell in the lower middle and 1 in the purple sum-1 cell to its right; the 2/5 lies flat with 5 in the orange sum-5 cell and 2 in the blue sum-2 cell to its right; the 3/5 stands vertically with 5 upper in the blue sum-5 cell on the left and 3 lower in the teal sum-3 cell at the bottom-left.
🎨 Pips Solver
Oct 12, 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
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 pair can only take one tile
The teal greater-than-8 pair at the top-right has a right-hand cell that touches no other cell, so both teal cells must be covered by one tile lying flat. The tray holds a 2/4, a 2/0, a 6/2, a 3/2 and a lone double — only the 5/5 pushes two cells past 8. Place it: 5 in the left teal cell, 5 in the right teal cell.
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Step 2: The corner cell names its own value
The purple sum-3 cell sits in the top-left corner with one neighbour, the upper cell of the pink equals pair. Exactly one tile in the tray carries a 3, so the 3/2 must lie flat across that corner: 3 in the purple cell, 2 in the pink cell.
3
Step 3: The equals pair drags the matching half home
The pink equals pair has to repeat its value, so the lower pink cell is also 2. That cell's only free neighbour is the free uncoloured square, and the 2/4 is the tile that fits: 2 in the lower pink cell, 4 in the uncoloured square to its right.
4
Step 4: The bottom row closes the grid
The orange greater-than-4 cell in the bottom-left must be the tray's only 6, so the 6/2 lies flat there: 6 in the orange cell, 2 in the left-hand blue cell. The blue equals pair repeats that 2 in its right-hand cell, which forces the green less-than-3 cell to take the 0 — and the 2/0 is the tile that does it, 2 on the left, 0 on the right. Final grid: the 5/5 flat across the top-right teal pair, the 3/2 across the top-left corner, the 2/4 through the middle, and the 6/2 with the 2/0 along the bottom.
🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Medium Level
1
Step 1: The right edge is a 5, and its tile is the 5/4
Nothing in the medium tray reaches 6, so the purple greater-than-4 cell on the right edge can only be 5. It has two possible neighbours — the end of the equals run above it, and the right-hand green sum-7 cell to its left — and it is the left-hand one that takes it: the 5/4 lies flat with 5 in the purple cell and 4 stepping into the green pair, leaving the green pair's other cell to make up the 7.
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Step 2: The equals run fills with 4s
The orange equals run of three across the top-right needs one repeated pip. The tray can supply 4 four times over, including a matching 4/4, and the run fills that way: the 4/4 double covers the two rightmost cells of the run, and the 0/4 lies flat at the left with its 4 in the run's leftmost cell and its 0 falling into the right-hand cell of the teal sum-2 pair.
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Step 3: The top-left pair adds up
The teal sum-2 pair must total 2 across two cells, and the pink less-than-2 cell beside it can only be 0 or 1. The tray's only 1 rides on the 2/1, and it is exactly the tile that fits: 1 in the pink cell at the left edge, 2 in the teal pair's left cell. That leaves the teal pair's right cell at 0, which the 0/4 from step 2 has already supplied.
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Step 4: The middle and bottom pairs lock together
The blue sum-5 and the bottom pink sum-2 stack one above the other, and the tile joining them is the 3/2 standing vertically: 3 as the upper half in the blue pair's right-hand cell, 2 as the lower half in the pink pair's left-hand cell. That leaves the blue pair's left cell to be 2, which the 2/4 provides — its 4 drops into the lower free uncoloured cell to the left. The green sum-7's remaining cell takes 3 from the 3/0, whose 0 sits as the lower half in the pink pair's right-hand cell, closing the bottom row.
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Step 5: The finished grid
Right side: the 5/4 flat with 5 in the purple greater-than-4 cell and 4 in the green sum-7's right-hand cell, and the 3/0 standing vertically just left of it — 3 upper in the green pair's left cell, 0 lower in the right-hand pink sum-2 cell. Top-right: the 4/4 across the two rightmost cells of the orange equals run, and the 0/4 flat with 0 in the right-hand teal cell and 4 in the run's leftmost cell. Top-left: the 2/1 flat, 1 in the pink less-than-2 cell and 2 in the teal pair's left cell. Middle and bottom: the 3/2 standing vertically, 3 upper in the right-hand blue sum-5 cell and 2 lower in the left-hand pink sum-2 cell; the 2/4 flat with 2 in the blue pair's left cell and 4 in the lower free uncoloured cell beside it; and the 3/5 across the top with 3 in the free uncoloured cell and 5 in the top-edge purple greater-than-4 cell.
🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Hard Level
1
Step 1: The 6 has exactly one home
In this tray the 6 appears once, on the 3/6 tile. A single-cell sum region equals its own target, so nothing above 5 can be housed anywhere except the two multi-cell regions — the green sum-10 pair and the pink sum-9 pair. Between them, only the green sum-10 pair can take a 6 and still be completed.
2
Step 2: The 3/6 stands vertically
Try the 6 in the left-hand cell of the green sum-10 pair: the 3 would then have to fall on one of that cell's neighbours, all of which are sum-1 or sum-2 cells. Impossible. So the 6 goes in the green pair's right-hand cell and the 3 above it in the pink sum-3 cell — the 3/6 standing vertically — which leaves 4 for the green pair's left-hand cell.
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Step 3: The 4 in the green pair needs a 2
The purple sum-2 cell at the top-left has only two neighbours, and the right-hand one now holds the 3. So that purple cell must pair vertically with the green pair's 4, and the tile carrying a 2 and a 4 is the 2/4: 2 as the upper half, 4 as the lower half.
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Step 4: The left edge is a chain of ones
The blue sum-1 cell at the top of the left edge has a single free neighbour, the orange sum-4 cell beneath it, so the 1/4 stands vertically — 1 upper, 4 lower. Further down, the orange sum-1 and blue sum-1 cells cannot share a tile because this tray holds no 1/1, so the orange one pairs downward with its own sum-3 neighbour on the 1/3, and the blue one pairs upward on the 1/2 — 2 into the blue sum-2 cell above, 1 left in place.
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Step 5: The five zero cells take their partners
Every sum-0 cell is a 0, and each needs a neighbour to carry the rest of its tile. The 0/2 lies flat with 0 in the upper teal sum-0 cell on the right edge and 2 in the pink sum-2 cell to its left. The 0/3 stands vertically: 0 upper in the second teal sum-0 cell on that edge, 3 lower in the pink sum-3 cell at the bottom-right corner. The 0/4 stands vertically in the centre: 4 upper in the green sum-4 cell, 0 lower in the green sum-0 cell directly beneath. The 0/5 stands vertically with 5 upper in the lower cell of the pink sum-9 pair and 0 lower in the green sum-0 cell at the bottom-right. And the 0/1 lies flat in the lower middle, 0 in the green sum-0 cell there and 1 in the purple sum-1 cell to its right.
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Step 6: The remaining pairs complete the grid
The 2/3 lies flat across the top: 2 in the teal sum-2 cell, 3 in the orange sum-3 cell at the top-right corner. The 3/4 lies flat below it: 4 in the pink sum-4 cell, 3 in the teal sum-3 cell at the far right. The 1/5 stands vertically: 5 upper in the purple sum-5 cell in the upper middle, 1 lower in the purple sum-1 cell beneath. The 4/5 lies flat in the centre, 5 in the purple sum-5 cell and 4 in the upper cell of the pink sum-9 pair to its right. Finally, the 2/5 lies flat on the bottom row with 5 in the orange sum-5 cell and 2 in the blue sum-2 cell to its right, and the 3/5 stands vertically at the bottom-left with 5 upper in the blue sum-5 cell and 3 lower in the teal sum-3 cell beneath it.
💡 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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