🚨 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
The easy grid is a short, friendly lesson in reading constraints. You will spot two 'less than 1' single cells almost at once — they settle themselves — and a 'greater than 5' cell that has exactly one legal pip, so Livengood effectively hands you three firm cells before you lift a tile. From there it is a relay: the free square beside the top-left cell decides which tile carries the zero, the pink 'greater 4' cell on the left edge gets squeezed out by the fact that both sixes are wanted elsewhere, and the blue sum-10 pair on the right falls last.
Kurchan's medium asks you to look at shapes before numbers. A four-cell equals block sits dead centre, and very quickly you will be counting how many copies of a single pip the tray can actually supply — that count flips the whole grid open. A purple sum-3 column runs down the left edge and a blue 'less 1' cell waits in the bottom-right corner, both quietly telling you where the zeros and ones belong. It is a puzzle where the middle solves the edges and the edges pay the middle back.
The hard board is a proper construction: fourteen regions pressed into a tall grid, with two equals clusters, an 'unequal' column and a run of sum regions all leaning on one another. Your opening move is arithmetic — count the pips of one value in the tray, then count how many the board is asking for, and watch the two numbers line up perfectly. From there this NYT Pips hard becomes a chain of small certainties: the purple sum-8 block in the top-right corner, the green equals block on the right, the orange equals cluster in the middle, each tumbling once its neighbour commits.
💡 Progressive Hints
Try these hints one at a time. Each hint becomes more specific to help you solve it yourself!
💡 Start with the cells that rule things out
Skip the addition for a moment and hunt the constraints that forbid values rather than total them. This board has two single cells that allow only the smallest pip and one cell that allows only the largest, plus a couple of one-cell targets above and below a mid-range number. Those cells are decided before any domino moves.
💡 Two cells that can only hold a zero
The purple 'less 1' cell up at the top-left and the orange 'less 1' cell on the left side collapse to the same pip, and the tray carries exactly two tiles with that pip: the 0/4 and the 0/5. So those two tiles are your first two placements. The purple cell has only one neighbour — the free square beside it on the top row — so its tile must lie flat.
💡 Complete layout
The 0/5 tile lies flat along the top row: 0 in the purple 'less 1' cell, 5 in the free square to its right. The 0/4 tile lies flat through the third row: 0 in the orange 'less 1' cell on the left, 4 in the left half of the blue sum-10 pair. The 1/6 tile stands upright on the right edge: 1 in the upper half inside the teal 'less 3' cell, 6 in the lower half at the right end of the blue pair, giving 4 + 6 = 10. The 4/5 tile stands upright down the left side: 5 in the upper half in the pink 'greater 4' cell, 4 in the lower half in the free square below it. The 3/6 tile lies flat along the bottom: 3 in the free square on the left, 6 in the green 'greater 5' cell on the right.
💡 Find the region that demands repetition
One shape on this board is not about totals at all: a block of four cells that must all show the same pip. Before you place anything, count how many times each pip value appears across the tray. Only one of them turns up often enough to fill four cells, and that single count is the key to the whole puzzle.
💡 The teal block in the centre reads six
The teal equals block in the middle of the board must be all 6s — the 6/3, the 6/6 double, the 1/6 and the 6/4 supply exactly five sixes between them, and nothing else comes close. The 6/6 is the tray's only double, so it can settle two of those four cells in one move. Work outwards from there: the purple sum-3 column down the left edge wants three small pips, and the blue 'less 1' cell at the bottom-right must be a zero.
💡 Complete layout
The 6/6 stands upright in the right-hand column of the teal block, 6 above and 6 below. The 6/4 stands upright beside it: 4 in the upper half in the pink 'greater 3' cell, 6 in the lower half in the block's left column. The 6/3 lies flat across the block's top: 6 on the left inside the block, 3 on the right in the top-right free square. Down the left edge, the 1/6 stands upright with 6 in the upper half in the top-left free corner and 1 in the lower half at the top of the purple sum-3 column; the 2/0 stands upright beneath it, 0 in the middle cell and 2 in the bottom cell, so 1 + 0 + 2 = 3. On the right edge the 5/0 stands upright, 5 in the free square and 0 in the blue 'less 1' cell below it. The 1/2 fills the orange 'less 5' pair at the bottom-left, 2 upper and 1 lower.
💡 Count before you place
Two regions on this board ask for a repeated pip rather than a total — the big equals block on the right and the smaller equals cluster in the middle. Find them first, then count how many copies of each pip value the tray can supply. One value appears exactly as often as the board needs it, and that coincidence is your way in.
💡 Five sixes, five jobs
The tray carries five sixes: two on the 6/6 double, plus one each on the 6/0, the 2/6 and the 3/6. The board asks for the same number — a four-cell equals block on the right plus the lone sum-6 cell at the top of the right edge. Nothing is left over and nothing is short, which is a very strong sign the equals block reads 6. The 6/6 is the tray's only double, and it belongs inside that block.
💡 Fill the green equals block
Put the 6/6 upright in the right-hand column of the green equals block. The 2/6 lies flat across the top of the block, 6 on the left inside it and 2 on the right in the purple 'greater 1' cell. The 3/6 stands upright in the block's remaining cell, 6 in the upper half and 3 in the lower half, dropping into the orange equals cluster below.
💡 The last six frees the sum-8 corner
The fifth six goes to the lone teal sum-6 cell on the right edge, on the 6/0 tile, whose 0 tucks left into the purple sum-8 block. With a zero in the block's bottom-right, the block needs two 4s and a second 0: the 4/0 lies flat along its top edge, 0 on the left and 4 on the right, and the 2/4 lies flat beneath, 2 on the left in the pink 'less 3' cell and 4 on the right.
💡 Complete layout
Bottom first: the 0/3 stands upright, 0 in the upper half of the green sum-3 pair and 3 in the lower half; the 0/1 lies flat in the two free cells at the very bottom, 0 left and 1 right. Right edge: the 6/0 lies flat with 6 in the teal sum-6 cell and 0 in the purple sum-8 block; the 4/0 lies flat along the block's top, 0 left and 4 right; the 2/4 lies flat below it, 2 left in the pink 'less 3' cell and 4 right. The green equals block is all 6s — 6/6 upright in its right column, the 2/6 flat at the top with its 2 escaping right into the purple 'greater 1' cell, the 3/6 upright in its bottom-left with the 3 dropping into the orange equals cluster. That cluster is all 3s: the 4/3 lies flat with 4 left in the lower cell of the teal sum-7 pair, and the 3/2 lies flat with 2 left in the blue sum-2 cell. The 1/3 lies flat with 3 right in the upper cell of the teal pair and 1 left at the top of the pink unequal column, which finishes 1, 5, 0 with the 0/5 upright (5 upper, 0 lower). The 1/5 stands upright in the orange 'greater 5' pair, 1 upper and 5 lower; the 3/5 lies flat in the blue 'greater 7' pair, 3 left and 5 right.
🎨 Pips Solver
Oct 29, 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 that can only be zero
Look at the two single cells labelled 'less 1' — the purple one up at the top-left and the orange one on the left side. No pip value is below one except zero, so both cells are pinned. Scan the tray: only the 0/4 and the 0/5 carry a zero, which means those two tiles must cover those two cells, one zero each.
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Step 2: The top-left resolves itself
The purple 'less 1' cell has exactly one neighbour on the board: the free square to its right on the top row. A domino cannot hang in mid-air, so the tile carrying that zero has to lie flat into that square. That settles the 0/5 tile — 0 in the purple cell, 5 in the free square — and it also tells you the 0/4 tile is the one heading for the orange cell further down.
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Step 3: The pink cell takes the remaining five
The pink 'greater 4' cell on the left edge needs a pip above four, and its only neighbour is the free square below it, so whatever tile sits there stands upright. A six looks tempting, but both 6-bearing tiles — the 1/6 and the 3/6 — are already spoken for: the blue sum-10 pair cannot be made without a six, and the green 'greater 5' cell needs the other one. With the 0/5 gone, the only five left is on the 4/5 tile, so it stands upright: 5 in the upper half in the pink cell, 4 in the lower half in the free square.
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Step 4: The blue pair closes everything
The blue sum-10 pair needs two pips totalling ten. Only one five remains and it is already placed, so the split has to be 4 + 6. The 4 comes from the 0/4 tile lying flat through the third row — 0 into the orange 'less 1' cell, 4 into the left half of the blue pair. The 6 has to come from the 1/6, not the 3/6, because the half that lands above it must satisfy the teal 'less 3' cell and a 3 will not do: 1 in the upper half, 6 in the lower half, and 4 + 6 = 10. That leaves the 3/6 to lie flat along the bottom row, 3 in the free square and 6 in the green 'greater 5' cell.
🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Medium Level
1
Step 1: Count the pips, not the cells
The teal equals block in the centre of the board is four cells that must all match. Before guessing a value, tally the tray: 0 appears twice, 1 twice, 2 twice, 3 once, 4 once, 5 once — and 6 five times across the 6/3, the 6/6 double, the 1/6 and the 6/4. Only 6 can fill four matching cells, so the block reads 6 from the very start.
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Step 2: The double goes down in the block
The 6/6 is the tray's only double, which makes it the most efficient tile on the board — it deposits two sixes in one move. It stands upright in the right-hand column of the teal block, 6 in the upper cell and 6 in the lower cell, locking half the block immediately.
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Step 3: Two more sixes arrive from outside
The 6/4 stands upright on the block's left column: its 4 goes in the upper half into the pink 'greater 3' cell, which is satisfied at a stroke, and its 6 goes in the lower half inside the block. Then the 6/3 lies flat across the top of the block — 6 on the left inside the block, 3 on the right in the top-right free square. All four teal cells now read 6.
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Step 4: The sum-3 column on the left
The purple sum-3 column runs down the left edge and needs three small pips. It cannot be three zeros — that would use up both zero-bearing tiles and leave the blue 'less 1' cell with nothing legal — so the column must be 1, 0 and 2. The 1/6 stands upright at the top-left: 6 in the upper half in the free corner square, 1 in the lower half at the top of the column. The 2/0 stands upright beneath it, 0 in the middle cell and 2 in the bottom cell, and 1 + 0 + 2 = 3.
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Step 5: The corners finish the grid
The blue 'less 1' cell at the bottom-right must be zero, and the column already took the 2/0, so the 5/0 supplies it: the tile stands upright with 5 in the upper half in the free square directly above and 0 in the lower half in the blue cell. That leaves one tile, the 1/2, for the orange 'less 5' pair at the bottom-left — 2 in the upper half, 1 in the lower half, both comfortably under five. Every region checks out.
🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Hard Level
1
Step 1: A count that fits exactly
Scan the tray for sixes: the 6/6 double carries two, and the 6/0, 2/6 and 3/6 carry one each — five in total. Now scan the board's needs: the green equals block on the right has four cells that must match, and the lone teal sum-6 cell at the top of the right edge wants one more. Five and five. That perfect fit is the strongest signal on the grid that the big equals block reads 6.
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Step 2: The only double goes into the block
The 6/6 is the tray's only double, so it settles two cells of the green block at once: stand it upright in the block's right-hand column, 6 in the upper half and 6 in the lower half. The 2/6 lies flat across the top of the block, 6 on the left inside it and 2 on the right in the purple 'greater 1' cell — a 2 clears that target easily. The 3/6 stands upright in the block's last cell, 6 in the upper half and 3 in the lower half, dropping straight into the orange equals cluster below.
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Step 3: The fifth six pays for the sum-8 corner
The last six belongs to the teal sum-6 cell on the right edge, so the 6/0 lies flat: 6 on the right in that single cell, 0 on the left tucked into the purple sum-8 block's bottom-right corner. The block now needs two 4s and a second 0 to reach eight. The 4/0 lies flat along its top edge — 0 on the left, 4 on the right — and the 2/4 lies flat underneath, 2 on the left in the pink 'less 3' cell (comfortably below three) and 4 on the right. The block totals 0 + 4 + 4 + 0.
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Step 4: The orange equals cluster reads three
The 3/6 already dropped a 3 into the cluster's bottom-right cell, and equals regions cannot argue — the cluster is all 3s. The 4/3 lies flat, 4 on the left in the lower cell of the teal sum-7 pair and 3 on the right in the cluster's top-left cell. The 3/2 lies flat beside it, 2 on the left in the single blue sum-2 cell — exactly the total it needs — and 3 on the right in the cluster's bottom-left cell.
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Step 5: The teal pair and the unequal column
The teal sum-7 pair already holds the 4 in its lower cell, so the upper cell needs a 3. The 1/3 lies flat through that row: 3 on the right in the teal pair's upper cell, 1 on the left at the top of the pink unequal column. A single 1 does not violate 'unequal' — it is simply the first of three distinct values, and the column will be finished later.
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Step 6: The last four tiles and the bottom rows
Finish the pink unequal column with the 0/5 standing upright: 5 in the middle cell, 0 in the bottom cell, so the column reads 1, 5, 0 with nothing repeated. At the top-left the orange 'greater 5' pair takes the 1/5 upright, 1 in the upper half and 5 in the lower half — a combined 6 that clears the target. The blue 'greater 7' pair takes the 3/5 flat, 3 on the left and 5 on the right for 8. At the bottom the green sum-3 pair takes the 0/3 upright, 0 above and 3 below, and the two free cells at the very bottom take the 0/1 flat, 0 on the left and 1 on the right.
💡 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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