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🎲 Today's Puzzle Overview
Ian Livengood's easy grid is a shallow deduction graph with two independent footholds. A vertical two-cell equals region sits alone against the right edge, so it can only be covered by a single domino standing upright — and because its two cells must match, that domino has to be a double. The lone sum-2 cell in the bottom-right corner is the second entry point: exactly one pip in the tray can satisfy it, which pins an entire domino. From there the chain climbs inward — the bottom-row sum pair hands a pip up into the centre sum-10 pair, that pair passes a matching pip into the top-left equals pair through a shared tile, and the final domino drops the leftover small pip into the single less-than cell in the corner.
Rodolfo Kurchan's medium board is a straighter chain, but it leans on region totals that sit right at the edge of the pip range. A single cell that must total zero opens the puzzle and immediately donates a large pip to the four-cell block beneath it, which then needs nearly every remaining high pip to clear its threshold. That escalation decides where the flat-lying tiles go: the three-cell block in the bottom-right has to stay under its limit, so a small tile lies flat across two of its cells, and everything else settles into the teal block, the pink cell and the two top-left cells — one of which is the unconstrained free square.
Rodolfo Kurchan's hard grid is the densest of the three: a four-cell equals run along the top, a four-cell equals block in the bottom-right, and a lattice of small arithmetic regions woven between them. This NYT Pips hard is really a study in domino inventory — which doubles can be spent where, and which tile can afford to hand its small half to a tight cell. The bottom-right equals block is the root: it cannot be covered by two dominoes that both sit inside it without demanding two identical doubles, so one column is filled by a single double while the outward cells are fed from the sum-1 pair above and the greater-than run below.
💡 Progressive Hints
Try these hints one at a time. Each hint becomes more specific to help you solve it yourself!
💡 Compare first, add second
Two regions on this board are about comparing pips rather than adding them — the equals regions. A two-cell equals region is the tightest clue type in the game: both halves must show the same pip, and one of these pairs sits hard against an edge where the covering domino has no freedom at all. Start there rather than with the sums.
💡 One pip that only fits one place
The orange equals pair on the right edge comes first: it is two cells stacked vertically against the board's edge, so a single domino must stand upright across both halves — and equal pips mean a double. Then count from the other end. The green sum-2 cell in the bottom-right corner needs a total of exactly 2, and only one pip in the whole tray can supply it; its partner has to sit in the blue sum-8 pair directly above that green cell.
💡 Complete easy layout
Orange equals pair on the right edge: the 0/0 double stands vertically, 0 in the upper cell and 0 in the lower. Green sum-2 cell at the bottom-right: the 2/5 tile stands vertically, 2 in the green cell and 5 above it in the right cell of the blue sum-8 pair. Blue then needs 3 on its left, so the 6/3 tile stands vertically — 3 in the left cell of blue, 6 above it in the right cell of the centre teal sum-10 pair. Teal's left cell must then read 4, supplied by the 4/4 double standing vertically: 4 in the left cell of the centre pair, 4 above it in the right cell of the pink equals pair at the top-left. Pink's left cell matches at 4 from the 1/4 tile standing vertically — 4 in the left cell of pink and 1 above it in the purple less-2 cell at the top-left corner, which satisfies the less-than rule.
💡 Small regions, sharp answers
This board is built out of single-cell clues. One cell wants an exact total, another wants a total of nothing at all, and a third only has to beat a small number — those are the tightest constraints on the grid. Find the most extreme of them and the puzzle starts unravelling straight away.
💡 The zero cell commits a whole tile
The orange single cell in the top-right corner is the sum-0 region, so the pip inside it can only be 0. Only one tile in the tray carries a 0, which means that domino is committed immediately and its partner has to land next door. The productive direction is straight down: the tile stands vertically, 0 staying in the orange cell while the large pip drops into the top-right cell of the blue greater-18 block below, which will soon need every big pip it can get.
💡 Complete medium layout
Start with the 0/4 tile standing vertically: 0 in the orange sum-0 cell, 4 in the top-right cell of the blue greater-18 block. Blue then takes the rest of the high pips — the 4/5 tile stands vertically with 4 in the top-left blue cell and 5 in the middle-left blue cell, and the 3/6 tile lies horizontally with 6 in the bottom-left blue cell and 3 in the bottom-left green cell. Green must stay under 8, so with 3 already inside, the remaining two cells read 3 and 1: the 1/3 tile lies flat across the top of green, 3 in the left cell and 1 in the right cell. The teal greater-10 block takes 5, 3 and 3 — the 5/3 tile stands vertically with 5 in the top-left teal cell and 3 in the bottom-left teal cell, while the 4/3 tile stands vertically with 3 in the top-right teal cell and 4 above it in the pink sum-4 cell. That leaves the 4/1 tile lying flat across the top-left: 4 in the purple greater-1 cell and 1 in the uncoloured free square beside it.
💡 Rank the regions by tightness
This grid mixes equals regions with arithmetic ones, and the extremes do the early work. A two-cell region that must total just 1 is the most restrictive shape on the board, and a four-cell block that has to show one repeated pip comes a close second. Sort the regions by how tight they are and begin at the top of that list.
💡 The sum-1 pair on the right edge
The blue sum-1 pair on the right edge must be 0 and 1 in some order — two cells totalling 1 leave no other option. No tile in the tray carries both a 0 and a 1, so those two cells are covered by two different tiles, each reaching outward: the upper one into the orange greater-4 cell above it, the lower one down into the teal equals block at the bottom-right. That pair alone decides the value of the whole equals block.
💡 Fixing teal's repeated pip
Take the upper cell of the blue pair first. Whatever tile lands there also covers the orange greater-4 cell above, which needs a pip above 4, so the tile must pair a 0 or a 1 with a 5 — and the 1/5 tile is the one that goes here, standing vertically with 1 in the upper blue cell and 5 up in the orange cell. The lower blue cell must then be 0, and the tile standing between it and the teal block is the 3/0: 0 in the lower blue cell, 3 dropping down into the top-right cell of the block. Teal's repeated pip is therefore 3.
💡 Locking the block and the bottom run
With 3 established, the block's left column is covered by the 3/3 double standing vertically: 3 in the top-left cell, 3 in the bottom-left cell. The block's bottom-right cell also needs a 3, and its only free neighbour is the cell below in the green greater-14 run — so the 6/3 tile stands vertically there, 3 up inside the block and 6 down in the right cell of the run. The 4/5 tile then lies flat along the rest of that run, 5 in the left cell and 4 in the middle cell, and 5 + 4 + 6 = 15 clears the target of more than 14.
💡 Complete hard layout
Right edge and block: the 1/5 tile stands vertically, 1 in the upper cell of the blue sum-1 pair and 5 up in the orange greater-4 cell; the 3/0 tile stands vertically below it, 0 in the lower blue cell and 3 down in the top-right cell of the teal equals block; the 3/3 double stands vertically down the block's left column, 3 top-left and 3 bottom-left; the 6/3 tile stands vertically at the block's bottom-right cell, 3 inside the block and 6 below it in the right cell of the green greater-14 run; the 4/5 tile lies flat beside it, 5 in the run's left cell and 4 in the middle cell. Top row: the purple equals run is all 1s — the 1/1 double lies flat across its two right-hand cells, the 1/2 tile stands vertically with 1 in the middle cell and 2 below in teal sum 8, and the 1/3 tile stands vertically with 1 in the left cell and 3 below in pink sum 7. Everything else: the 0/4 tile stands vertically inside pink, 4 top-left and 0 bottom-left; the 2/4 tile lies flat across the bottom of teal, 2 left and 4 right; the 4/4 double stands vertically between the two sum-4 cells, 4 in the upper purple cell and 4 in the pink cell below it; the 0/5 tile stands vertically in the green sum-7 column, 5 in the top cell and 0 in the middle; the 2/2 tile lies flat with 2 in the column's lowest cell and 2 in the orange sum-2 cell; and the 4/6 tile lies flat in the blue greater-9 pair, 4 left and 6 right.
🎨 Pips Solver
Sep 28, 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: The pair that has to stand up
Look at the orange equals region on the right edge. Its upper cell has only one neighbour anywhere on the board — the cell directly beneath it — so whichever domino covers that upper cell also covers the lower one, which means the pair is filled by a single domino standing vertically. Equal pips on both halves force a double, and it is the 0/0 double that goes in here: 0 in the upper cell, 0 in the lower cell.
2
Step 2: The single cell that sets a total
The green sum-2 cell in the bottom-right corner demands an exact total of 2, so the pip sitting in it must be 2. Scan the tray: only the 2/5 tile carries a 2, and that corner cell touches just one other cell, the right half of the blue sum-8 pair above it. So the 2/5 tile stands vertically, 2 in the green cell at the bottom and 5 up in the right cell of the blue pair.
3
Step 3: Blue's left cell and the climb inward
Blue's two cells must total 8 and the right one already holds 5, so the left cell reads 3. Three tiles remain — the 4/4, the 1/4 and the 6/3 — and only the 6/3 carries a 3, so it is committed. Its only open neighbour is the cell above, in the centre teal sum-10 pair, so the tile stands vertically: 3 in the left cell of blue, 6 up in the right cell of the centre pair.
4
Step 4: The 4/4 and the final corner
The centre pair totals 10 and already shows 6 on the right, so its left cell reads 4. That cell can only pair with the pink cell above it, and the value there has to match the rest of pink — the 4/4 double delivers exactly that, standing vertically with 4 in the left cell of the centre pair and 4 in the right cell of the pink equals pair at the top-left. Pink's left cell must then read 4 too, and the only tile left is the 1/4: it stands vertically, 4 in the left cell of pink and 1 above it in the purple less-2 cell at the top-left corner, where 1 satisfies the less-than rule. Every region checks out — both equals pairs match, the sums hit 10, 8 and 2, and the corner cell sits under its limit.
🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Medium Level
1
Step 1: The cell that wants nothing
The orange single cell in the top-right corner is a sum-0 region, and one cell can only total zero by holding a 0. The tray contains exactly one 0, on the 0/4 tile, so that domino is spoken for. Its partner pip has to go next door, and the roomy target is straight down: the tile stands vertically with 0 in the orange cell and 4 in the top-right cell of the blue greater-18 block beneath it.
2
Step 2: Feeding the four-cell block
Blue needs its four cells to beat 18, and with 4 already in the top-right cell the other three must supply at least 15 between them. The 4/5 tile is the strongest vertical pair left, so it stands upright in the left column of the block: 4 in the top-left blue cell, 5 in the middle-left blue cell. The 3/6 tile then lies flat along the bottom, 6 in the bottom-left blue cell and 3 slipping across into the bottom-left cell of the green block.
3
Step 3: The block that has to stay small
Green is a three-cell block that must stay under 8, and it already holds 3 from the 3/6 tile, so its other two cells must total 4 or less. The tray's small pips sit together on the 1/3 tile, and it fits neatly across the top row of green: 3 in the top-left cell, 1 in the top-right cell. Green now totals 3 + 3 + 1 = 7, safely under the limit — and note that the top-right green cell has no other neighbour, so that tile could not have gone anywhere else.
4
Step 4: Teal's total and the pink cell
The teal three-cell block has to beat 10. The 5/3 tile stands vertically down its left side, 5 in the top-left teal cell and 3 in the bottom-left teal cell. That leaves the top-right teal cell, whose only free neighbour is the pink cell above it: the 4/3 tile stands vertically, 3 in the top-right teal cell and 4 up in the pink sum-4 cell, which needs exactly a 4. Teal now reads 5 + 3 + 3 = 11, just past its target.
5
Step 5: The free square and the last tile
One tile is left, the 4/1, and exactly two cells are still empty: the purple greater-1 cell at the top-left and the uncoloured free square beside it, since that square's other neighbours were already taken by the teal and pink tiles. The 4/1 lies flat, 4 in the purple cell — comfortably above 1, where the 1 would have failed — and 1 in the unconstrained square to its right.
🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Hard Level
1
Step 1: Why the equals block needs a lone double
The teal equals block at the bottom-right is four cells that must all show the same pip. It cannot be covered by two dominoes that both sit inside the block: two vertical dominoes down its columns, or two horizontal ones across its rows, would each have to be a double, and that would mean two identical doubles in the tray — which does not exist. So one column of the block is covered by a single double standing vertically, and the other column's two cells are fed from outside: the top-right cell from the cell above it in the blue sum-1 pair, the bottom-right cell from the green greater-14 run below.
2
Step 2: The sum-1 pair hands the block its value in waiting
That blue sum-1 pair on the right edge must total 1, so its two cells are 0 and 1 — and since no tile in the tray carries both a 0 and a 1, the pair is fed by two separate tiles. The upper blue cell's tile also covers the orange greater-4 cell above it, so it has to pair the 0 or 1 with a pip bigger than 4. The 1/5 tile answers that: it stands vertically with 1 in the upper blue cell and 5 up in the orange cell. (The 0/5 tile would put 0 there and force the block's repeated pip to be 2, but every 2 in the tray — the 1/2, the 2/2 and the 2/4 — is needed for the block and for the lone sum-2 cell in the bottom-left, so that route runs out of pips.)
3
Step 3: Teal's repeated pip is decided
With 1 in the upper blue cell, the lower one must be 0, and its tile also reaches down into the block: the 3/0 tile stands vertically with 0 in the lower blue cell and 3 in the top-right cell of the teal block. Since all four cells of that block match, teal's repeated pip is 3. The block's left column is filled by the 3/3 double standing vertically — 3 in the top-left cell, 3 in the bottom-left cell.
4
Step 4: The bottom-right cell and the greater-14 run
The block's bottom-right cell still needs a 3, and its only free neighbour is the cell below it in the green greater-14 run. The 6/3 tile stands vertically there: 3 up inside the block, 6 down in the right cell of the run, giving it one big pip towards its target. The 4/5 tile then lies flat across the rest of the run, 5 in the left cell and 4 in the middle cell, so the run totals 5 + 4 + 6 = 15, just over 14.
5
Step 5: The top row that must all agree
The purple equals run along the top is four cells reading one repeated pip, and it takes three tiles to do it. The 1/1 double lies flat across its two right-hand cells, supplying two matching pips at once; the 1/2 tile stands vertically with 1 in the run's middle cell and 2 below it in the teal sum-8 block; the 1/3 tile stands vertically with 1 in the run's left cell and 3 below it in the pink sum-7 block. All four cells of the run now read 1, and the two blocks beneath get their small pips.
6
Step 6: The remaining arithmetic falls into place
Pink sum 7 takes the 0/4 tile standing vertically — 4 in its top-left cell, 0 in its bottom-left cell — alongside the 3 the 1/3 tile already dropped in, for 4 + 3 + 0 = 7. Teal sum 8 takes the 2/4 tile lying flat across its bottom row, 2 in the bottom-left cell and 4 in the bottom-right, next to the 2 from the 1/2 tile, for 2 + 2 + 4 = 8. The two single-cell sum-4 regions on the left are bridged by the 4/4 double standing vertically between them: 4 in the upper purple cell, 4 in the pink cell below it. The green sum-7 column finishes with the 0/5 tile standing vertically, 5 in its top cell and 0 in the middle cell, and the 2/2 tile lying flat at the bottom of the grid, 2 in the column's lowest cell and 2 across in the orange sum-2 cell. Finally the bottom row's blue greater-9 pair takes the 4/6 tile lying flat, 4 left and 6 right, totalling 10.
💡 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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