Today's hints
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The answer
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Why this answer
The letters, categories, or grid logic that made this one tricky.
What made this one tricky:
- Pips is an ID-first solve check: confirm the Easy, Medium, and Hard labels before opening the reveal so you do not mix boards.
Saturday’s set is anchored by several single-cell inequalities and target sums. Easy board #1253 yields once the less-than-1 cell is fixed at zero. Medium #1255 revolves around equality regions, while Hard #1262 is best solved from its fixed single cells outward before balancing the sum-12 and sum-15 regions.
Recent Pips answers
Stuck on a streak day? Past solves keep you moving.
Catching up? Here are the most recent solutions.
| Date | Puzzle | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
| Sat, Sep 5, 2026 | Pips | Easy board #1211, Medium board #1215 and Hard board #1228. |
| Fri, Sep 4, 2026 | Pips | Easy board #1213, Medium board #1217 and Hard board #1230. |
| Thu, Sep 3, 2026 | Pips | Easy board #1220, Medium board #1232 and Hard board #1243. |
| Wed, Sep 2, 2026 | Pips | Easy board #1212, Medium board #1216 and Hard board #1229. |
| Tue, Sep 1, 2026 | Pips | Easy board #1224, Medium board #1237 and Hard board #1246. |
| Mon, Aug 31, 2026 | Pips | Easy board #1223, Medium board #1236 and Hard board #1245. |
| Sun, Aug 30, 2026 | Pips | Easy board #1214, Medium board #1218 and Hard board #1231. |
| Sat, Aug 29, 2026 | Pips | Easy board #1227, Medium board #1240 and Hard board #1248. |
More from the desk
Constraint-first approach
Do not place dominoes by appearance alone. Mark forced single-cell values first, then settle equality regions and small target sums. On the hard board, postpone the large three-cell sums until neighboring inequalities remove most orientations; this avoids rebuilding the center after an early guess.
FAQ
What are today’s NYT Pips board numbers?
The September 12 set is Easy #1253, Medium #1255 and Hard #1262.
How difficult is today’s Pips set?
Overall it is hard, mainly because the hard board combines equality chains, inequalities and several multi-cell sums.
What is the best first move on the easy board?
Start with the single-cell region marked less than 1, which must contain a zero.
When does the next NYT Pips set release?
The next Pips set releases at midnight ET on Sunday, September 13, 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.
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