This guide provides solutions and a step-by-step walkthrough for today’s NYT Pips puzzles across Easy, Medium, and Hard tiers. The focus is on completing each grid by strategically placing dominoes while satisfying color-coded conditions. Players must use all dominoes to fill the grid fully, adhering to rules such as equality, inequality, and numerical comparisons within colored sections.
Understanding Pips Gameplay
The game involves a grid with multicolored regions, each representing specific requirements. Dominoes are rotated and placed to meet these conditions, which may include equal values, non-equal values, greater/less than thresholds, or exact numbers. Blank spaces have no restrictions. Key symbols and their meanings are outlined below:
- = All pips in the group must match.
- ≠ Pips must differ within the group.
- > Pips must exceed the displayed number.
- < Pips must be below the displayed number.
- Exact number (e.g., 6) Pips must match this value.
Players solve puzzles by iterating through domino placements, adjusting positions as needed to satisfy all conditions. Multiple valid solutions may exist for some grids.
Today’s Pips Solutions
Easy Pips Walkthrough
Easy Pips
Screenshot: Erik Kain
Medium Pips Walkthrough
Medium Pips
Screenshot: Erik Kain
Hard Pips Walkthrough and Solution
Today’s Hard Pips features an elephant-themed grid, presenting a complex challenge. The solution involves methodical placement of dominoes, starting with obvious constraints and building from there. Key steps include:
Step 1
Place the 0/1 domino in Blue = from Orange < 3, followed by the 5/1 domino in Blue = from Purple > 4. Continue with the 2/1 domino in Blue = from Pink = and the 3/0 domino in Dark Blue =. Finish this phase by adding the 0/0 domino to the remaining Dark Blue = sections.
Hard Pips
Screenshot: Erik Kain
Step 2
Insert the 2/2 domino below in Pink =, then place the 6/2 domino from Green 10 in Pink =. Use the 5/2 domino in Dark Blue > 4 from Pink =. Position the 4/1 domino from Green 10 in Purple 6 and the 5/0 domino from Purple 6 in the final Dark Blue = tile.
Hard Pips
Screenshot: Erik Kain
Complete the puzzle by placing the 5/6 domino in Pink 10 from Blue > 10, the 4/3 domino in Purple = from Pink 10, and the 6/3 domino below in Purple =. Finalize with the 2/0 domino in Orange < 3 and the 3/1 domino in the last Blue = tile. This methodical approach ensures all conditions are met without conflicts.
Hard Pips
Screenshot: Erik Kain


