🚨 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
Ian Livengood's easy is a study in economy: five dominoes, ten cells, no filler. The purple sum-2 run along the top is the whole puzzle in miniature — a three-cell region whose target is so low that two of its cells must read zero, which turns the 0/0 double into the most valuable tile on the tray. Livengood then uses the pink sum-10 pair as a counterweight, forcing a six beside a four, and lets the 6/6 double bridge out of the tight corner into a free square. It is the kind of design that looks sparse and turns out to be airtight. The medium keeps the same constructor's fingerprints but swaps arithmetic for matching. Three equals regions — teal across the second row on the left, a purple column running down the top-right, a green pair in the centre — mean the early minutes are spent hunting identical pips rather than adding numbers, while the blue sum-12 down the left edge quietly insists that two different tiles each donate a six. Symmetrical to look at, asymmetrical to solve. Rodolfo Kurchan's hard is a taller, meaner grid, and its signature is the blunt region. A four-cell sum of 24 is really a demand for four sixes in a line, and the moment you accept that, the left side of this NYT Pips hard folds in on itself. Kurchan pairs that extreme with its opposite — a single sum-0 cell, a greater-4 corner, a three-cell equals block — each a tiny trapdoor that looks trivial until you notice the whole solution swings on it.
💡 Progressive Hints
Try these hints one at a time. Each hint becomes more specific to help you solve it yourself!
💡 Start with the smallest target
Ignore the doubles and the big pairs for a moment and read the constraint types instead. One region on this board asks for a total so small that ordinary pip values can barely fill it, and that region — not the glamorous tiles — is where the puzzle opens.
💡 The purple sum-2 run
The purple sum-2 run along the top row is three cells that must total two, so two of them have to read zero. The tray holds exactly one tile containing a zero, and it is a double, which means those two zeros sit side by side inside the run. The left-hand cell is left over for the remaining pip, and it sits directly above the right-hand cell of the pink sum-10 pair.
💡 Full easy layout
Lay the 0/0 double flat across the purple sum-2 run's middle and right cells, both reading zero, leaving the run's left-hand cell as a 2. That 2 comes from the 4/2 standing vertically, its 4 dropping into the right-hand cell of the pink sum-10 pair below. Pink now needs ten, so its left-hand cell is a 6 — the 6/6 double, standing vertically down the left edge, lower half in the uncoloured free square beneath the pink pair. The teal sum-8 pair on the right fills from two vertical tiles: the 5/3 with 5 in the teal pair's right-hand cell and 3 dropping into the orange greater-2 corner below it, and the 3/2 with 3 in the teal pair's left-hand cell and 2 rising into the uncoloured free square above it. The two uncoloured free squares hold 2 (top) and 6 (left).
💡 Count the constraints by type
This grid is dominated by one constraint type rather than by sums. Equals regions are solved by matching rather than adding, so before you place anything, look at how many cells each equals region contains — size two can be satisfied either by a single double or by two separate tiles donating the same pip.
💡 The bottom-right sum and the top-right cell
The purple sum-10 pair in the bottom-right is the arithmetic anchor: two cells, target ten. Meanwhile the little pink less-2 cell in the top-right corner can only accept a 0 or a 1, and whatever you decide there is decided for it by the equals column it touches on its left.
💡 Full medium layout
The 5/5 stands vertically in the purple sum-10 at the bottom-right, 5 upper and 5 lower. The 4/4 lies flat across the teal equals pair on the left of the second row, 4 and 4. The 5/0 lies flat across the top-right, 5 in the upper cell of the purple equals column and 0 in the pink less-2 corner beside it. The blue sum-12 down the left edge takes two sixes from two different tiles: the 6/1 lies flat with 6 in the column's upper cell and 1 in the left cell of the green equals pair, and the 6/2 lies flat along the bottom row with 6 in the column's lower cell and 2 in the left cell of the pink sum-5 pair. The 1/3 stands vertically, 1 in the right cell of green equals and 3 in the right cell of pink sum-5, giving 1+1 and 2+3. The 2/5 lies flat one row below the top, 5 completing the purple equals column's lower cell and 2 sitting in the orange less-4 cell.
💡 Look for the impossible region
Two constraints here give themselves away before you place a single tile. One is a multi-cell sum sitting right at the maximum the pips allow, and the other is a single-cell sum demanding the absolute minimum. Find those two shapes first — everything else on the grid follows from them.
💡 The orange column and the teal zero
The orange sum-24 column running down the left-hand side is four cells that must average six, and the 6/6 double is the only tile in the tray that can supply two of those pips at once. Right at the bottom, the teal sum-0 cell can only be a zero, which pins one half of the 4/0 tile the moment you spot it.
💡 Feeding the column
With four sixes demanded, the tiles that carry them are decided too. The 6/6 stands vertically to fill the column's bottom two cells. The 2/6 stands vertically with its 6 dropping into the column's top cell and its 2 up in the purple sum-11 block. The 3/6 lies flat, its 3 in the green greater-2 cell beside the column and its 6 stepping right into the column's second cell.
💡 The purple block and the blue pair
The purple sum-11 block in the top-left already shows a 2 from the 2/6. Its other three cells total nine: the 3/3 lies flat across the block's top-left and top-centre cells, and the 3/4 stands vertically in the block's bottom-left cell, its 4 falling into the upper cell of the blue equals pair below. That equals pair then wants a partner for the 4, and the tile that supplies it must also clear the greater-than-4 bar in the orange corner beneath — which is exactly what the 4/6 does.
💡 Full hard layout
Purple sum-11 block: 3 and 3 across the top from the 3/3 double, 2 in its top-right cell from the 2/6, 3 in its bottom-left cell from the 3/4. Orange sum-24 column, top to bottom: 6 from the 2/6, 6 from the 3/6, then 6 and 6 from the 6/6 standing vertically. Blue equals pair on the left: 4 from the 3/4 and 4 from the 4/6, whose 6 drops into the orange greater-4 corner in the bottom-left. Green greater-2 cell: 3 from the 3/6. Pink equals block on the right: 4 and 4 across the top from the 4/4, plus 4 in the bottom-right cell from the 2/4, whose 2 falls into the right cell of the green less-5 pair. Teal sum-0 cell: 0 from the 4/0, whose 4 lands in the left cell of the blue less-7 pair. The 4/5 stands vertically, 4 in the uncoloured square and 5 in the purple sum-5 cell directly below it. Top row: the 1/2 lies flat, 1 in the pink less-2 cell and 2 in the uncoloured square beside it; the 2/5 lies flat, 2 and 5 filling the teal sum-7 pair. Bottom row: the 2/2 lies flat, 2 in the right cell of blue less-7 and 2 in the left cell of green less-5.
🎨 Pips Solver
Oct 6, 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
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Step 1: The sum-2 run gives up its zeros
The purple sum-2 run across the top needs three cells to total two. Pips cannot go below zero, so at least two of those three cells must read 0 — and the tray contains exactly one tile with a zero on it, the 0/0 double. A double covers two adjacent cells, so both zeros sit side by side inside the run. Now check which pair: the run's right-hand cell touches only one other cell on the whole board, so the double is forced flat across the run's middle and right cells, leaving the left-hand cell to hold the 2.
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Step 2: The pink sum-10 pair is pinned
The 2 in the purple run's left-hand cell sits in the same column as the right-hand cell of the pink sum-10 pair, and that cell's only available partner is the 2's own tile — the 4/2, standing vertically with 2 up in the purple run and 4 down in the pink pair. Pink now needs ten across two cells, so its left-hand cell must be a 6, and the only sixes in the tray are on the 6/6 double. It stands vertically down the left edge, upper half in the pink pair, lower half in the uncoloured free square beneath.
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Step 3: The right side resolves
That leaves the teal sum-8 pair, the uncoloured free square above it and the single orange greater-2 cell. The orange cell touches only the teal pair's right-hand cell, so those two form one vertical tile. Teal still has to reach 8, which rules out any small pairing: the 5/3 goes there, 5 upper in the teal pair and 3 lower in the orange cell, comfortably clearing the greater-than-2 bar. The remaining 3/2 then stands vertically in the middle, 3 lower in the teal pair's left-hand cell and 2 upper in the free square above it — teal finishes at 3 + 5 = 8.
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Step 4: Complete layout
Top row: purple sum-2 reads 2, 0, 0, the 0/0 double lying flat across its middle and right cells. Second row: pink sum-10 reads 6 and 4, the 6/6 standing vertically down the left edge and the 4/2 standing vertically beside it with 4 as its lower half; the uncoloured free square below the purple run's right end holds the 2 from the 3/2 rising out of teal. Left column: the uncoloured free square holds the 6/6's lower half. Teal sum-8 reads 3 and 5, with the 5/3's 3 dropping into the orange greater-2 corner in the bottom-right.
🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Medium Level
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Step 1: The bottom-right sum pins the 5/5
Start with the purple sum-10 pair in the bottom-right, two cells that must total ten. A 4/4 placed there would only produce eight, and a six-plus-four split cannot work either: the tray's only two fours are locked together on the 4/4, so putting one of them inside the region would drag the other in as well. That leaves the 5/5, standing vertically with 5 in the upper cell and 5 in the lower.
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Step 2: The teal equals pair takes the other double
Only two doubles exist in this tray — the 5/5 just spent and the 4/4. The teal equals pair on the left of the second row needs two identical pips, and the 4/4 laid flat across it satisfies both at once: 4 in the left-hand cell, 4 in the right-hand cell.
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Step 3: Two sixes for the blue column
The blue sum-12 running down the left edge is two cells, and the only way to reach twelve is two sixes. The tray holds exactly two sixes, one on the 6/1 and one on the 6/2, so both tiles must feed this column. The 6/1 lies flat, 6 in the column's upper cell and 1 stepping right into the green equals pair in the centre. The 6/2 lies flat along the bottom row, 6 in the column's lower cell and 2 stepping right into the pink sum-5 pair.
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Step 4: Green equals and pink sum-5 lock together
Green equals now has one cell filled with a 1 from the 6/1, so the other cell must also be 1. The only remaining route is the 1/3 standing vertically, 1 in the green pair and 3 dropping into the pink sum-5 pair below. Pink already holds the 2 from the 6/2, and 2 + 3 = 5 confirms it.
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Step 5: The top-right equals column and the small cells
Two single-cell constraints remain at the top-right: the pink less-2 and the orange less-4. The 5/0 lies flat across the top, its 5 settling into the upper cell of the purple equals column and its 0 into the pink less-2 — the tray's only zero, and safely under the limit. The last tile, the 2/5, lies flat one row lower: its 5 completes the purple equals column as the lower cell, matching the 5 above, and its 2 sits in the orange less-4 cell. Final board: teal equals 4, 4; blue sum-12 = 6 + 6; green equals 1, 1; purple sum-10 = 5 + 5; pink sum-5 = 2 + 3; purple equals column 5, 5; pink less-2 = 0; orange less-4 = 2.
🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Hard Level
1
Step 1: A sum of 24 means four sixes
The orange sum-24 column down the left side is four cells tall and the largest pip is 6. Four sixes is exactly 24, so this region has one reading and one only. Further down the board, the teal sum-0 cell is its mirror image: a single cell that can only read 0.
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Step 2: Who feeds the column
Four sixes have to come from the tray. The 6/6 double supplies two adjacent ones, and the remaining two live on the 2/6 and the 3/6. The 6/6 stands vertically in the column's bottom two cells. The 2/6 stands vertically, its 6 in the column's top cell and its 2 up in the purple sum-11 block. The 3/6 lies flat, its 3 in the green greater-2 cell beside the column and its 6 stepping right into the column's second cell.
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Step 3: The purple sum-11 block
The purple block in the top-left holds four cells and already shows a 2 from the 2/6. The remaining nine pips over three cells come from the 3/3 laid flat across the block's top-left and top-centre cells, plus a 3 from the 3/4 standing vertically in the block's bottom-left cell. The 3/4's other half, a 4, falls into the upper cell of the blue equals pair below.
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Step 4: Blue equals and the bottom-left corner
Blue equals needs its lower cell to match the 4 above it, and whatever tile supplies that 4 must also drop a value greater than 4 into the orange corner directly beneath. The 4/6 does both: standing vertically, 4 in the blue pair's lower cell and 6 in the orange greater-4 cell in the bottom-left corner.
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Step 5: The right-hand block and the small sums
The pink equals block on the right is a three-cell L. The 4/4 lies flat across its top two cells, giving 4 and 4, and the 2/4 stands vertically to fill the block's bottom-right corner with a 4, its 2 dropping into the right-hand cell of the green less-5 pair. Lower down, the 4/0 stands vertically: 0 in the teal sum-0 cell and 4 in the left-hand cell of the blue less-7 pair.
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Step 6: Complete layout
Purple sum-11 reads 3, 3, 2 across the top plus 3 at its bottom-left. Top row: pink less-2 holds 1 and the uncoloured square beside it holds 2, the 1/2 lying flat; teal sum-7 reads 2 and 5 from the 2/5 lying flat. Orange sum-24 column reads 6, 6, 6, 6 top to bottom. The uncoloured square above the purple sum-5 holds the 4 of the 4/5, whose 5 sits in the sum-5 cell directly below. Blue equals reads 4 and 4. The green greater-2 cell holds 3. Pink equals block reads 4, 4 across the top and 4 in its bottom-right corner. Teal sum-0 holds 0. The orange greater-4 corner holds 6. Blue less-7 reads 4 and 2, and green less-5 reads 2 and 2, the 2/2 lying flat across the gap between them.
💡 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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