Today's hints
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The answer
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Why this answer
What the word means, where the trap was, and how the solve unfolds.
Sunday’s set is Easy #1276, Medium #1281 and Hard #1288, by Ian Livengood and Rodolfo Kurchan, edited by Ian Livengood. The hard board uses 14 dominoes across 15 regions, 8 of them single cells that can be filled before any trial placement.
Pips is a counting game before it is a placement game: every region is a constraint on pips, and the dominoes you are given fix how many of each value exist. Single cells first, then equality regions, then whatever sums are left.
Recent Pips answers
Two weeks of solutions, newest first. Handy for a broken streak or a missed day.
Catching up? Here are the most recent solutions.
| Date | Puzzle | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Sat, Sep 19, 2026 | Pips | Easy board #1275, Medium board #1280 and Hard board #1287. |
| Fri, Sep 18, 2026 | Pips | Easy board #1274, Medium board #1279 and Hard board #1286. |
| Thu, Sep 17, 2026 | Pips | Easy board #1285, Medium board #1292 and Hard board #1294. |
| Wed, Sep 16, 2026 | Pips | Easy board #1277, Medium board #1282 and Hard board #1289. |
| Tue, Sep 15, 2026 | Pips | Easy board #1278, Medium board #1283 and Hard board #1290. |
| Mon, Sep 14, 2026 | Pips | Easy board #1254, Medium board #1256 and Hard board #1263. |
| Sun, Sep 13, 2026 | Pips | Easy board #1261, Medium board #1268 and Hard board #1273. |
| Sat, Sep 12, 2026 | Pips | Easy board #1253, Medium board #1255 and Hard board #1262. |
| Fri, Sep 11, 2026 | Pips | Easy board #1259, Medium board #1266 and Hard board #1271. |
| Thu, Sep 10, 2026 | Pips | Easy board #1257, Medium board #1264 and Hard board #1269. |
| Wed, Sep 9, 2026 | Pips | Easy board #1260, Medium board #1267 and Hard board #1272. |
| Tue, Sep 8, 2026 | Pips | Easy board #1258, Medium board #1265 and Hard board #1270. |
| Mon, Sep 7, 2026 | Pips | Easy board #1226, Medium board #1239 and Hard board #1249. |
| Sun, Sep 6, 2026 | Pips | Easy board #1219, Medium board #1235 and Hard board #1244. |
Solve notes
The opener that would have found it, and what to carry into tomorrow.
Count before you place
Tally the pip values on the hard board’s 14 dominoes before touching the grid: 0 is the most common value, and the 4 doubles can only sit inside equality regions or split across two matching cells. That count tells you which values can stretch across a long equality chain and which sums have only one possible split.
Questions people ask
The things readers search about today's Pips, answered plainly.
What are today’s NYT Pips board numbers?
The September 20, 2026 set is Easy #1276, Medium #1281 and Hard #1288.
Who made today’s Pips boards?
Easy #1276 is by Ian Livengood; Medium #1281 is by Ian Livengood; Hard #1288 is by Rodolfo Kurchan.
When does the next NYT Pips set release?
The next Pips set releases at midnight ET on Monday, September 21, 2026.
How do you play NYT Pips?
Place dominoes so every shaded region satisfies its rule, such as a target sum, equality, inequality or all-different condition.
Tomorrow's hints, in your inbox at midnight
Daily Pips hints, the answer explained, and one thing worth knowing about the word — sent at midnight ET.