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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
The easy slice of today's NYT Pips is a four-row confidence builder from Ian Livengood: seven small regions, three of them sum-10 pairs sitting in tidy rows, plus one free uncoloured square in the top-left corner. The purple single-cell sum of 1 is a giveaway anchor — whichever tile reaches that corner has to carry a 1, and only the 5/1 does. From there every deduction runs left to right with no forks and no guessing. Bank it in two or three minutes.
Medium, also by Livengood, is one tight knot. Three equals pairs run along the second row and the left edge, a four-cell sum-20 block anchors the bottom-right, and the centre hides a less-1 cell that can only be 0 — that is your entry point. The bottleneck is the bottom-right corner, where the sum-20 block takes its final pip from a tile that also reaches into the sum-3 pair. Crack that and the rest unspools in a single direction.
Rodolfo Kurchan's hard is the real test on this board. Nothing is a plain sum: the orange greater-14 column at the top-right asks for more than 14 pips across three stacked cells, which effectively forces the tray's only 6, while the four-cell purple sum-9 block and the teal greater-9 block demand that every pip land just right. Budget most of your time for proving where that 6 goes, and remember the two uncoloured squares — the one in the top-left corner and the one on the left a row lower — carry no constraint at all.
💡 Progressive Hints
Try these hints one at a time. Each hint becomes more specific to help you solve it yourself!
💡 Start with the lonely cells
Before you touch the sum pairs, scan the single-cell regions. Three of them carry fixed targets, and the smallest target on the board leaves exactly one pip that fits. Whatever tile reaches that cell is locked in on the spot.
💡 The purple corner gives you a tile
The purple sum 1 square in the top-right corner is a single cell, so it reads exactly 1 — and only the 5/1 tile in this tray carries a 1. That tile has to stand vertically in the corner column: 1 up in the purple cell, 5 down in the right-hand cell of the teal sum 10 pair just below.
💡 The complete layout
The 5/1 tile stands vertically in the top-right corner — 1 up in the purple sum 1 cell, 5 down in the right-hand cell of the teal sum 10 pair. That makes teal's left cell a 5 too, so the 5/6 tile lies flat along the second row with 6 on the left in the pink sum 10 pair's right cell and 5 on the right in teal's left cell. Pink's left cell is then 4, which is the lower half of the 4/0 tile — 4 down in pink, 0 up in the uncoloured square in the top-left corner. Finally the 4/2 tile lies flat in the middle row, 2 on the left in the orange greater 1 cell and 4 on the right in the blue sum 10 pair's left cell; blue's right cell takes 6 from the 3/6 tile, whose 3 drops into the green greater 2 cell at the bottom.
💡 Hunt the tightest single
The equals pairs look tempting, but the fastest way in is the smallest single-cell target on the board. A one-cell 'less' clue wipes out every pip but one, and it sits right at the centre of the grid.
💡 The centre 0 pins the middle row
The blue less 1 cell in the centre can only be 0, and exactly one tile in this tray carries a 0 — the 4/0. It lies flat across the middle row: 4 on the left in the orange equals pair's right cell, 0 on the right in the blue cell. Since the orange region is an equals pair, its left cell must be 4 as well.
💡 The complete layout
The 4/0 tile lies flat across the middle row, 4 in the orange equals pair's right cell and 0 in the blue less 1 cell; orange's left cell must also be 4, so the 4/2 tile stands vertically with 4 up in orange and 2 down in the upper cell of the purple sum 6 pair. Purple's lower cell is 4 — the 1/4 tile lies flat with 4 on the left in that cell and 1 on the right in the pink sum 3 pair's left cell. Pink sum 3's right cell takes 2 from the 5/2 tile, whose 5 goes right into the green sum 20 block's bottom-right cell. With a 5 already in the block, the other three cells are all 5: the 5/5 double fills the two middle cells, and the 5/4 tile stands vertically with 5 down in the block's top-right cell and 4 up in the teal equals pair's right cell. Teal's left cell is the matching 4, from the 3/4 tile — 4 down in teal, 3 up in the purple less 4 cell directly above. The last double in the tray, 3/3, lies flat in the pink equals pair in the top-left corner, 3 in each cell.
💡 Greaters with several cells
A multi-cell 'greater' region is a minimum-sum test, not a per-pip one — the pips have to beat the target together. The largest target on this board sits in a three-cell column, and it demands close to the maximum three pips can give.
💡 The top-right column
Look at the orange greater 14 column on the top-right edge: three cells stacked vertically. The top cell has only one neighbour, so a vertical tile must cover the top two, and the three pips have to total at least 15. Only one tile in the tray carries a 6, and it has to be part of this column.
💡 The 4/6 goes in
That tile is the 4/6, and it stands vertically: 4 in the top cell, 6 in the middle. The column's bottom cell then needs a 5 to push the total to 15, and two tiles in the tray carry a 5 — the 0/5 and the 3/5. Meanwhile the blue sum 5 cell in the upper-left is a single-cell sum, so it must hold 5 as well.
💡 Sorting out the two 5s
The blue sum 5 cell's neighbours are the pink greater 0 cell above it and the pink sum 1 cell below it. If the 0/5 tile served blue sum 5, its 0 would land in one of those two cells — and neither can take a 0. So the 3/5 tile stands vertically there, 3 up in pink greater 0 and 5 down in blue sum 5, and the 0/5 tile takes the orange column: 5 in the column's bottom cell, 0 down in the right cell of the blue sum 4 pair in the bottom-right corner. That pair then needs 4 on the left, which is the lower half of the 4/3 tile — 3 up in the orange greater 2 cell, 4 down in blue sum 4's left cell.
💡 The complete layout
Top-right: the 4/6 tile stands vertically in the orange greater 14 column, 4 in the top cell and 6 in the middle, with the 0/5 tile below it — 5 in the column's bottom cell, 0 down in the right cell of the blue sum 4 pair; the 4/3 tile stands vertically at the right edge, 3 up in the orange greater 2 cell and 4 down in blue sum 4's left cell. Upper-left: the 3/5 tile stands vertically with 3 up in the pink greater 0 cell and 5 down in the blue sum 5 cell, and the 1/3 tile drops from the pink sum 1 cell — 1 up in pink sum 1, 3 down in the bottom-right cell of the purple sum 9 block. That block reads 0, 3, 3, 3: the 3/3 double lies flat across its two bottom cells (bottom-left and bottom-centre), and the 2/0 tile stands vertically with 2 up in the uncoloured square on the left and 0 down in the block's top-left cell. Along the top-left, the 1/4 tile lies flat with 1 in the uncoloured corner square and 4 in the pink greater 1 cell beside it. Down the middle-right, the 2/4 tile stands vertically with 4 up in the teal greater 3 cell and 2 down in the green equals pair's left cell; the 2/2 double stands vertically with 2 up in the green pair's right cell and 2 down in the teal greater 9 block's top-right cell; and the 4/4 double fills the teal greater 9 block's two left cells, 4 top and 4 bottom.
🎨 Pips Solver
Oct 15, 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 purple corner pins a 1
The purple sum 1 square in the top-right corner is a single cell, so its pip must be exactly 1. Scan the tray: only the 5/1 tile carries a 1. That tile therefore stands vertically in the corner column, 1 in the purple cell and its 5 landing in the right-hand cell of the teal sum 10 pair below.
2
Step 2: Teal completes itself
With a 5 already sitting in the teal pair's right-hand cell, the pair's left cell must be 5 as well to reach the target of 10. Only the 5/6 tile still has a 5, and it lies flat along the second row — 6 on the left in the pink sum 10 pair's right cell, 5 on the right in teal's left cell.
3
Step 3: Pink and the free corner
The pink sum 10 pair now holds 6 in its right cell, so its left cell needs 4. The 4/0 tile fits vertically there: 4 down in pink's left cell, 0 up in the uncoloured square in the top-left corner, which has no constraint to satisfy.
4
Step 4: Blue, orange and green close the board
The middle row takes the 4/2 tile — 2 on the left in the orange greater 1 cell, comfortably above its target, and 4 on the right in the blue sum 10 pair's left cell. Blue's right cell therefore needs 6, which is the upper half of the 3/6 tile; the 3 drops down into the green greater 2 cell at the bottom.
🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Medium Level
1
Step 1: The centre 0 is forced
The blue less 1 cell sits at the centre of the board, and its single pip has to be smaller than 1 — so it is 0. Scan the tray for a 0: only the 4/0 tile has one, which means that tile lies flat across the middle row, 4 on the left in the orange equals pair's right cell and 0 on the right in the blue cell.
2
Step 2: Orange equals locks at 4
Every cell of an equals region takes the same pip, so with 4 now in the orange pair's right cell, its left cell must also be 4. Only the 4/2 tile can supply it, standing vertically: 4 up in the orange pair, 2 down in the upper cell of the purple sum 6 pair.
3
Step 3: Purple sum 6 and the 1/4
Purple sum 6 already holds 2 on top, so its lower cell must be 4. That is the left half of the 1/4 tile, lying flat across the bottom row of that corner: 4 on the left in the purple sum 6 pair's lower cell, 1 on the right in the pink sum 3 pair's left cell.
4
Step 4: The sum-20 block is all 5s
Pink sum 3's left cell holds 1, so its right cell must be 2 — the left half of the 5/2 tile, whose 5 goes right into the green sum 20 block's bottom-right cell. A four-cell block needing 20 with a 5 already in place forces every remaining cell to be 5: the 5/5 double covers the two middle cells, and the 5/4 tile stands vertically with 5 down in the block's top-right cell and 4 up in the teal equals pair's right cell.
5
Step 5: Teal, pink and the last double
Teal's equals pair now holds 4 on the right, so its left cell is 4 as well — the lower half of the 3/4 tile, whose 3 sits above it in the purple less 4 cell. The only unfilled cells are the pink equals pair in the top-left corner, and with the 5/5 double already used, the remaining double in the tray, 3/3, lies flat there with 3 in each cell.
🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Hard Level
1
Step 1: Orange greater 14 must contain the 6
The orange greater 14 region on the top-right edge is three cells in a vertical line, and a multi-cell greater region beats its target as a total — these three pips need at least 15. The top cell touches only the cell beneath it, so a vertical tile covers the top two. The tray holds exactly one 6, on the 4/6 tile, and nothing else comes close to supplying that much weight, so the 4/6 stands vertically there: 4 in the top cell, 6 in the middle.
2
Step 2: The bottom of the column and the two 5s
The top two cells give 10, so the column's last cell must be at least 5 — and exactly 5, since the only 6 is already used. Two tiles carry a 5, the 0/5 and the 3/5, and the blue sum 5 single cell in the upper-left also wants a 5. That blue cell's neighbours are the pink greater 0 cell above it and the pink sum 1 cell below it; if the 0/5 tile went there, its 0 would have to land in one of those two cells, and neither can take a 0. So the 3/5 tile stands vertically with 3 up in pink greater 0 and 5 down in blue sum 5, and the 0/5 tile takes the orange column: 5 in the column's bottom cell, 0 down in the right cell of the blue sum 4 pair in the bottom-right corner.
3
Step 3: Blue sum 4 closes at 4 + 0
With 0 in the blue sum 4 pair's right cell, the pair's left cell must be 4. The 4/3 tile stands vertically between that cell and the orange greater 2 cell up at the right edge: 3 up in orange greater 2, and 4 down in blue sum 4's left cell.
4
Step 4: Pink sum 1, purple sum 9 and the top-left corner
Pink sum 1 in the left-centre must be 1. Its partner can only be the cell below it, because the cell above belongs to blue sum 5 and must be 5 — and neither 1-carrying tile has a 5. So the 1/3 tile stands vertically, 1 up in pink sum 1 and 3 down in the purple sum 9 block's bottom-right cell. That block now holds one 3 and its other three cells need 6 between them. In the top-left corner the free square's only neighbour is the purple greater 1 cell, so those two form one tile — it cannot be the 2/0, whose 0 would leave the purple block unable to reach 9. It is the 1/4: 1 in the uncoloured corner square, 4 in the purple greater 1 cell. The 2/0 then stands vertically with 2 up in the uncoloured square on the left and 0 down in the purple block's top-left cell, and the 3/3 double lies flat across the block's two bottom cells, giving 0 + 3 + 3 + 3 = 9.
5
Step 5: Green equals and teal greater 9
On the right-centre strip the cover is forced: the teal greater 3 cell has only one neighbour, the green equals pair's left cell, and the teal greater 9 block's bottom-left cell has only one neighbour, its own top-left cell. So the green pair takes one pip from each of two different tiles. Teal greater 3 needs a pip above 3, meaning a 4 — and if the 4/4 double sat there, green would need a matching 4 beside it and the teal greater 9 block would fall short. So the 2/4 tile stands vertically, 4 up in teal greater 3 and 2 down in the green pair's left cell. Green's equals rule makes its right cell 2 as well, supplied by the 2/2 double — 2 up in green's right cell, 2 down in the teal greater 9 block's top-right cell. The last tile, the 4/4 double, stands vertically in that block's left column: 4 top and 4 bottom, so the block totals 4 + 2 + 4 = 10 and beats its target.
💡 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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