Pips hints and answers for Friday, October 9, 2026
Pips is the NYT domino logic game: place every domino from the tray so that each colored region obeys its rule - a number means the pips in that region add to it, an equals region means every half in it matches, and a not-equal region means no two halves match. Friday's three boards were edited by Ian Livengood: an Easy board by Livengood with 5 dominoes, a Medium board also by Livengood with 7 dominoes, and a Hard board by Rodolfo Kurchan with 12 dominoes. Each board gets its own hint ladder below, then its solved grid behind a tap.
Easy board - hints
Hint 0 of 3By Ian Livengood · Tap to show one hint at a time.
Three equals groups run this board: an L of three cells - the top row, columns 1-2, plus the cell below the second of them - must all match, a second L across the top row, columns 3-4, plus the cell below the second must all match, and the pair standing in column 3, rows 2-3, must match too. The only other rule is a single cell at row 2, column 1, which must add to exactly 3.
The first L is all 1s: the 1-1 domino stands in column 2, rows 1-2, and the third 1, at the top-left corner, arrives from the 1-3 domino standing in column 1, rows 1-2, whose 3 fills the pinned single cell below it.
The second L is all 2s: the 2-2 domino stands in column 4, rows 1-2, and the third 2, in the top row, column 3, arrives from the 6-2 domino standing in column 3, rows 1-2. Its 6 starts the last equals pair, completed by the 6-3 domino lying across the bottom row, columns 2-3.
The Easy solution
The solved Easy board: every cell shows its pip count, then the placements and a check of every region rule.
Placements: 1-3 down column 1, rows 1-2 · 1-1 down column 2, rows 1-2 · 6-2 down column 3, rows 1-2 · 2-2 down column 4, rows 1-2 · 6-3 across row 3, columns 2-3
- All equal 1 = 1 = 1
- All equal 2 = 2 = 2
- Adds to 3 3
- All equal 6 = 6
- No rule 1 cell in blank regions, free to take any value
Medium board - hints
Hint 0 of 3By Ian Livengood · Tap to show one hint at a time.
Start with the extremes: the pair across row 2, columns 1-2, must beat 10 between them, the three cells at row 2, column 4 and row 3, columns 3-4 must all match each other, and the pair across the bottom row, columns 2-3, must add to 6.
The greater pair reads 6 beside 6, arriving on two dominoes: the 2-6 domino stands in column 1, rows 2-3, with its 6 on top, and the 6-0 domino lies across row 2, columns 2-3, with its 6 in column 2.
The equals triple is all 5s: the 5-5 domino stands in column 4, rows 2-3, and the third 5, at row 3, column 3, arrives from the 5-3 domino standing in column 3, rows 3-4, whose 3 completes the bottom pair that adds to 6.
The Medium solution
The solved Medium board: every cell shows its pip count, then the placements and a check of every region rule.
Placements: 0-0 across row 1, columns 1-2 · 3-1 across row 1, columns 3-4 · 2-6 down column 1, rows 2-3 · 6-0 across row 2, columns 2-3 · 5-5 down column 4, rows 2-3 · 0-3 down column 2, rows 3-4 · 5-3 down column 3, rows 3-4
- Less than 3 0 + 0 + 1 + 0 = 1
- Greater than 10 6 + 6 = 12
- All equal 5 = 5 = 5
- Adds to 2 2 + 0
- Adds to 6 3 + 3
- No rule 1 cell in blank regions, free to take any value
Hard board - hints
Hint 0 of 3By Rodolfo Kurchan · Tap to show one hint at a time.
Work the exact single cells first: the top row holds 3, 4, 3 in columns 1-3 and a 4 in column 8, and the cell at row 2, column 3 must add to exactly 1. The pair standing in column 5, rows 1-2, must beat 7 between them.
That greater pair is a double in disguise: 6 over 6, from the 6-6 domino standing in column 5, rows 1-2. At the other end of the board, the bottom row closes with an equals triple in columns 6-8, all 2s: the 5-2 domino lies across columns 5-6 with its 2 in column 6, and the 2-2 domino lies across columns 7-8.
The long column 5 run below them is the board's only not-equal region: its cells in rows 3-5 must all differ, and they read 6, 1, 5 - the 6 and 1 from the 6-1 domino standing in column 5, rows 3-4, and the 5 from the 5-2 domino lying across the bottom row, columns 5-6.
The Hard solution
The solved Hard board: every cell shows its pip count, then the placements and a check of every region rule.
Placements: 4-3 across row 1, columns 1-2 · 3-1 down column 3, rows 1-2 · 6-6 down column 5, rows 1-2 · 4-2 down column 8, rows 1-2 · 0-4 down column 1, rows 2-3 · 3-3 across row 3, columns 2-3 · 6-1 down column 5, rows 3-4 · 0-3 down column 8, rows 3-4 · 0-2 down column 1, rows 4-5 · 2-3 down column 3, rows 4-5 · 5-2 across row 5, columns 5-6 · 2-2 across row 5, columns 7-8
- Adds to 3 3
- Adds to 4 4
- Adds to 3 3
- Greater than 7 6 + 6 = 12
- Adds to 4 4
- Adds to 4 4 + 0
- Adds to 1 1
- Adds to 5 2 + 0 + 3
- Adds to 6 3 + 3
- All different 6, 1, 5
- Less than 3 2 + 0 = 2
- Adds to 3 3
- Less than 3 2 = 2
- All equal 2 = 2 = 2