🚨 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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Want hints instead? Scroll down for progressive clues that won't spoil the fun.
🎲 Today's Puzzle Overview
The easy board in today's NYT Pips opens with a freebie: the pink less-1 block in the top middle has three cells and only one pip value can satisfy all of them, so you'll be dropping zeros into place before you've finished scanning the tray. Ian Livengood keeps the rest of the grid just as chatty — a greater-4 corner with a single viable candidate, a teal greater-2 cell that has to make do with whatever big pip is left, and an orange equals column that closes out with a matching pair. You'll rarely sit and stare; every placement points straight at the next one.
Rodolfo Kurchan's medium asks you to count before you touch anything. Most of the grid is bare free squares, so the handful of labelled cells do all the talking: a sum-0 corner that can only hold the smallest pip in the game, a less-2 cell that must scoop up whatever tiny value survives, and two separate labelled cells that both cry out for the same oversized pip when the tray only carries two of them. Once you accept that both are spoken for, the greater-4 cell and the pink sum-6 on the bottom row resolve together, and the equals pair on the left finishes itself with the tray's double.
The hard grid is the opposite extreme: thirty-two single-cell sums, every region one square, every printed number a target rather than a total. You aren't deducing values at all — you're matching a printed board to a tray of sixteen tiles that contains no doubles whatsoever, which means every domino bridges two different numbers and the whole solve becomes one long adjacency hunt. Kurchan hides his entry points in plain sight: one lone 6, one spot on the entire board where a 4-cell touches a 5-cell, and a top-left corner where the 2 has to choose between its two neighbours.
💡 Progressive Hints
Try these hints one at a time. Each hint becomes more specific to help you solve it yourself!
💡 Start with the strictest clamps
Ignore the two-cell regions for a moment and hunt for regions that can only accept one kind of value. The easy board gives you a 'less than 1' block and a pair of 'greater than' cells — those are the entry points, because the tray holds very few pips that can satisfy them.
💡 Three cells, one pip value
Look at the pink less-1 block in the top middle: an L of three cells tucked under the top edge. Every cell in it must sit below 1, so all three are chasing the same lowest pip. Scan the easy tray — exactly three zeros exist, one on each of three different tiles, so the 3/0, 0/2 and 1/0 tiles each have to donate their zero here. Note the shape: one cell on the top row at the right, two more side by side underneath it.
💡 The finished easy board
Here it is: the 3/0 tile lies flat at the top-right, 3 in the teal greater-2 cell and 0 in the pink block's top cell. The 1/0 tile stands vertically with 0 in the block's bottom-left cell and 1 in the upper cell of the orange equals pair; the 0/2 tile stands vertically with 0 in the block's bottom-right cell and 2 in the upper cell of the blue sum-6 pair. The 4/1 tile lies flat along the bottom, 4 in the lower blue sum-6 cell and 1 in the lower orange equals cell, making that pair read 1 and 1. Last, the 3/5 tile lies flat in the top-left corner: 5 in the purple greater-4 cell, 3 in the uncoloured square beside it.
💡 Work from the labels
The medium grid is mostly blank free squares, so only the labelled single cells tell you anything. Sort them by how rigid they are: a 'sum 0' and a 'less than 2' are near-locks, while 'greater than 4' and 'greater than 2' each narrow to a couple of candidates.
💡 Two sixes, two homes
Count the 6s in the tray — exactly two tiles carry one — and then count the cells that demand a 6: the blue sum-6 cell on the right edge and the pink sum-6 cell on the bottom row. Both sixes are therefore spoken for, which rules a 6 out of the purple greater-4 cell in the bottom-left area. That single elimination tells you which tile must sit there, and it isn't a lone pip: its partner has to fit the square immediately to its right.
💡 The finished medium board
Final layout: the 0/0 tile lies flat across the top-right, 0 in the purple sum-0 cell and 0 in the free square to its left. The 6/0 tile stands vertically on the right edge, 6 in the blue sum-6 cell and 0 in the uncoloured square directly below. The 6/5 tile lies flat near the bottom, 5 in the purple greater-4 cell and 6 in the pink sum-6 cell to its right. The 3/3 double fills the teal equals pair, flat. The 2/3 tile stands vertically in the middle, 2 up in the free square and 3 down in the orange sum-3 cell. The 1/3 tile stands vertically with 1 in the pink less-2 cell and 3 in the free square directly above it. The 2/4 tile lies flat at the lower-left: 2 in the uncoloured square, 4 in the green greater-2 cell beside it.
💡 This board is already numbered
Every region on the hard grid is a single cell holding an exact sum, so all thirty-two values are printed for you. The work isn't arithmetic — it's adjacency. Also note the tray: not a single double among the sixteen tiles, so no domino will ever cover two equal cells.
💡 Find the loneliest number
One cell on the whole board asks for a 6 — the pink sum-6 sitting near the centre — and exactly one tile in your tray carries a 6: the 3/6. That pairing is decided before you think about anything else.
💡 Where the 3 goes
The 3/6 tile's small half has to land on a neighbouring cell printed 3. Of the four cells touching the pink sum-6, only one shows a 3: the purple sum-3 immediately to its left. So the 3/6 lies flat, 6 in the pink cell and 3 in the purple one.
💡 Hunt the rarest contact
Look for a printed 4 that touches a printed 5. Sweep the entire grid and you'll find exactly one such contact, down at the bottom-left where the orange sum-4 cell meets the blue sum-5 cell. That contact can only be filled by the 4/5 tile, laid flat.
💡 The finished hard board
Full layout, tile by tile: 3/6 flat at the centre — 6 in the pink sum-6, 3 in the purple sum-3 to its left. 4/5 flat at the bottom-left — 4 in the orange sum-4, 5 in the blue sum-5 beside it. 0/2 vertical in the top-left corner — 2 in the purple sum-2 above, 0 in the green sum-0 below. 1/3 vertical under that — 3 in the blue sum-3 on the left edge, 1 in the blue sum-1 beneath it. 0/3 vertical in the second column — 0 in the purple sum-0, 3 in the green sum-3 below. 3/5 flat along the top — 5 in the pink sum-5 on the left, 3 in the teal sum-3 to its right. 0/4 vertical lower in the second column — 4 in the green sum-4, 0 in the blue sum-0 below. 3/4 flat on the second row — 3 in the pink sum-3, 4 in the teal sum-4 to its right. 2/5 flat at the top-right — 2 in the orange sum-2, 5 in the blue sum-5 in the top-right corner. 2/3 vertical on the right — 3 in the orange sum-3 above, 2 in the upper of the two teal sum-2 cells below. 0/5 vertical on the right edge — 5 in the orange sum-5 above, 0 in the orange sum-0 below. 1/2 flat on the third row — 1 in the pink sum-1, 2 in the lower teal sum-2 to its right. 1/4 vertical mid-board — 4 in the purple sum-4 at the centre, 1 in the green sum-1 below. 1/5 vertical lower down — 5 in the purple sum-5, 1 in the green sum-1 below. 0/1 flat on the fourth row — 0 in the pink sum-0, 1 in the teal sum-1 to its right. 2/4 flat on the bottom row — 4 in the purple sum-4 at the bottom-right, 2 in the pink sum-2 in the far corner.
🎨 Pips Solver
Oct 25, 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: Three zeros, three donors
The pink less-1 block in the top middle is the tightest thing on the board: three cells, each of which must hold a pip below 1. Only one value qualifies, so all three cells want it. Now count the tray — the 3/0, 0/2 and 1/0 tiles each carry exactly one zero, and there are no other zeros anywhere — so those three tiles are effectively reserved for the block before you place a single domino.
2
Step 2: The corner that only accepts a 5
Move to the purple greater-4 cell in the top-left corner. It needs a pip above 4, and the largest value in the entire easy tray is the 5 on the 3/5 tile — nothing else comes close. So the 3/5 tile lies flat across the top-left: 5 in the purple cell, 3 in the uncoloured square immediately to its right. That also removes the 5 from circulation.
3
Step 3: The equals column locks onto 1
The orange equals column on the left needs two matching pips, and a domino can only fill one cell per region, so it needs two different tiles to agree. With all three zeros promised to the pink block, the only value left that appears more than once in the tray is 1 — once on the 1/0 tile, once on the 4/1 tile. The 1/0 tile stands vertically, 0 up in the pink block's bottom-left cell and 1 down in the upper orange cell; the 4/1 tile puts its 1 in the lower orange cell, which forces its 4 into the lower half of the blue sum-6 pair beside it.
4
Step 4: Blue needs a 2, and the zeros finish
The blue sum-6 pair already holds a 4 in its lower cell, so the upper cell must be 2 — and the only 2 left is on the 0/2 tile, whose zero slides into the pink block's bottom-right cell. One tile remains: the 3/0 lies flat at the top-right, 3 in the teal greater-2 cell and 0 in the pink block's top cell, which completes the three zeros and every region on the grid.
🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Medium Level
1
Step 1: Count the sixes first
Two cells demand a 6 — the blue sum-6 on the right edge and the pink sum-6 on the bottom row — and the tray carries exactly two sixes, on the 6/0 and 6/5 tiles. Both are therefore committed, which means the purple greater-4 cell in the bottom-left cannot take a 6. It must take the 5, and the 5 lives only on the 6/5 tile. Lay that tile flat: 5 in the purple greater-4 cell, 6 in the pink sum-6 to its right. Then the 6/0 stands vertically, 6 in the blue sum-6 cell on the right edge with its 0 in the uncoloured square directly below (the blue cell's other neighbour is the orange sum-3, which a zero could never satisfy).
2
Step 2: The sum-0 corner takes the double
The purple sum-0 cell in the top-right corner can only hold a zero, and it touches exactly one other cell — the free square to its left. With the 6/0 tile already spent, the 0/0 double is the tile that fits: lie it flat across the top-right, both zeros in place.
3
Step 3: The last small pip
The pink less-2 cell must be 0 or 1. Every zero is used, so it wants the 1 — and the only 1 remaining in the tray belongs to the 1/3 tile. That tile stands vertically with 1 in the pink cell and 3 in the free square directly above it. Putting that 3 into the teal cell below instead would strand the teal region's far-left cell, which has no other neighbour to draw from.
4
Step 4: The equals pair needs the double
The left-hand cell of the teal equals pair touches nothing except its partner, so a single domino must span both cells. The only way to give them matching pips is the 3/3 double, so it lies flat across the pair: 3 and 3.
5
Step 5: Two tiles left, two slots each
The free square between the top row and the centre now reaches only downward to the orange sum-3 cell, so the 2/3 tile stands vertically there: 2 up in the free square, 3 down in the orange cell. That leaves the 2/4 tile to lie flat just below the teal pair — 2 in the uncoloured square on its left, 4 in the green greater-2 cell on its right, and the grid is complete.
🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Hard Level
1
Step 1: Read before you place
All thirty-two regions on this grid are single cells whose exact sum is printed, so the numbers are the answer key, not a puzzle to compute. What makes it work is the tray: sixteen tiles, and not one of them a double. Every domino must therefore bridge two different printed values, and your job is to find which touching cells can only be joined by which tile.
2
Step 2: The lone 6
Only the pink sum-6 near the centre asks for a 6, and only the 3/6 tile carries one. Its small half must land on a neighbour printed 3; of the four cells touching that pink cell, exactly one shows a 3 — the purple sum-3 to its left. So the 3/6 lies flat: 6 in the pink sum-6, 3 in the purple sum-3.
3
Step 3: The only 4-5 contact
Search the board for a printed 4 that touches a printed 5. There is precisely one such contact, at the bottom-left, where the orange sum-4 cell meets the blue sum-5 cell. Only the 4/5 tile can fill it, laid flat: 4 in the orange sum-4, 5 in the blue sum-5 beside it.
4
Step 4: The top-left corner decides itself
The purple sum-2 corner cell touches just two others: the pink sum-5 to its right and the green sum-0 below. Try the 5 route and the top of the left edge ends up needing the same 0/3 tile twice — a dead end. So the 2 takes the 0 beneath it: the 0/2 tile stands vertically, 2 in the purple cell above, 0 in the green sum-0 below. That leaves the blue sum-3 further down the left edge with only the blue sum-1 beneath it, so the 1/3 tile stands vertically, 3 above and 1 below.
5
Step 5: The second column unlocks the board
With the left edge settled, the 0/3 tile can no longer sit there, so it must be the vertical pair one column in: 0 in the purple sum-0, 3 in the green sum-3 below it. The pink sum-5 at the top then has only the teal sum-3 to lean on, so the 3/5 lies flat along the top; the green sum-4 lower in that same column can no longer meet a 4, so the 0/4 stands vertically with 4 above and 0 in the blue sum-0 below.
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Step 6: The rest cascades
Row two falls next: the pink sum-3 can only reach the teal sum-4, so the 3/4 lies flat there. At the top-right the orange sum-2 meets the blue sum-5, giving the 2/5 flat; the orange sum-3 below it then feeds the upper teal sum-2 with the 2/3 standing vertically. The right edge pairs the orange sum-5 with the orange sum-0 via the 0/5, and the pink sum-1 fills with the 1/2, 1 in the pink cell and 2 in the lower teal sum-2 beside it. The middle follows: 1/4 vertical with 4 in the central purple sum-4 and 1 in the green sum-1 below, and 1/5 vertical with 5 in the purple sum-5 and 1 in the green sum-1 underneath. The final four cells take the last two tiles: the 0/1 lies flat on the fourth row, 0 in the pink sum-0 and 1 in the teal sum-1 to its right, while the 2/4 lies flat along the bottom, 4 in the purple sum-4 at the bottom-right and 2 in the pink sum-2 in the far corner.
💡 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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