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NYT Pips is the daily domino logic puzzle from The New York Times: you place a set of dominoes onto a board so that every outlined region follows its rule. Each domino has two ends showing zero to six pips (dots), and the challenge is fitting them all so the pip counts satisfy every region at once. For today's solved board across all three difficulties, see the Pips hints and answer page; this guide explains the rules and how to reason through them.
What is Pips?
Pips is one of the newest games in the NYT Games lineup, built around classic dominoes. You're given a board divided into colored regions and a tray of dominoes. Every domino is placed flat on the board — covering two adjacent cells — until the whole board is filled and no region's rule is broken. Each puzzle ships in three difficulties (easy, medium, and hard), so you can pick your challenge.
How the region rules work
Every outlined region on the board carries a constraint that the pips inside it must obey:
- A number — the pips in that region must add up to exactly that total.
- Equals (=) — every cell in the region must show the same number of pips.
- Not-equal (≠) — no two cells in the region may share the same pip count.
- Greater / less than (> or <) — the region's pips must come in above or below a given value.
- Blank regions — have no constraint; they're free space to park awkward pip counts.
A domino can straddle two different regions, with each half counting toward its own region's rule — which is what makes the board a chain of dependencies rather than isolated boxes.
Strategy that cracks the board
- Start with the most constrained regions. A region that needs a small exact sum (like "3" across two cells) or a single forced value has very few legal dominoes — lock those first.
- Use blanks as a relief valve. When a domino half has an awkward count, a no-rule region is often the only place it can live.
- Count what's left. Track which pip values remain in your tray; if a region still needs a 6 and no 6 is left, you've misplaced one earlier.
- Treat straddling dominoes as the hinge. A domino spanning two regions is doing double duty — solving one of those regions usually forces the other.
- Work easy → hard for the same date. The easy board teaches the day's pattern; the hard board reuses the same kinds of rules on a denser layout.
A few quick facts
Pips is free on the NYT site and app, refreshes daily, and offers easy, medium, and hard versions of each puzzle. There's no penalty for rearranging — you can pick dominoes up and move them freely until every region's rule is satisfied.
For today's fully solved boards at every difficulty, visit the Pips hints and answer page, updated daily.
FAQ
How do you play NYT Pips?
You place dominoes onto a board so that every outlined region satisfies its rule. Each domino has two ends showing 0–6 pips, and you fill the whole board without breaking any region's constraint.
What do the region rules mean in Pips?
A number means the pips in that region must sum to exactly that total; an equals sign means every cell must show the same count; a not-equal sign means no two cells can match; and greater/less-than signs set a value the region must beat or stay under. Blank regions carry no rule.
Does Pips have difficulty levels?
Yes. Each day's Pips puzzle comes in three difficulties — easy, medium, and hard — so you can choose how challenging a board you want.
Can a domino cross two regions in Pips?
Yes. A domino can straddle two regions, and each half counts toward its own region's rule. Those straddling dominoes are usually the key to solving the board.
Is Pips free?
Yes. Pips is free to play on The New York Times website and the NYT Games app.
What time does Pips reset?
A new Pips puzzle unlocks at midnight your local time, with fresh easy, medium, and hard boards.
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Daily Pips hints, answers, and trivia — sent fresh at midnight ET.