Pips hints and answers for Sunday, October 11, 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. Sunday'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 14 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.
Two long equals runs dominate this board: the three cells across the top row, columns 3-5, must all match, and the three cells across row 2, columns 2-4, must all match too.
The top run is all 2s: the 2-2 domino lies across the top row, columns 4-5, and the third 2, in column 3, arrives from the 2-4 domino standing in column 3, rows 1-2.
The row 2 run is all 4s: the 3-4 domino lies across row 2, columns 1-2, with its 4 in column 2, and the 6-4 domino lies across columns 4-5, with its 4 in column 4 and its 6 in column 5, the single cell that must beat 4. The pair standing in column 1, rows 2-3, adds to 7: a 3 over a 4.
The Easy solution
The solved Easy board: every cell shows its pip count, then the placements and a check of every region rule.
Placements: 2-4 down column 3, rows 1-2 · 2-2 across row 1, columns 4-5 · 3-4 across row 2, columns 1-2 · 6-4 across row 2, columns 4-5 · 4-0 across row 3, columns 1-2
- All equal 2 = 2 = 2
- Adds to 7 3 + 4
- All equal 4 = 4 = 4
- Greater than 4 6 = 6
- Less than 2 0 = 0
Medium board - hints
Hint 0 of 3By Ian Livengood · Tap to show one hint at a time.
Start with the quiet corners: the top-left cell must stay under 2, the cell at row 4, column 2 must also stay under 2, and the pair across the bottom row, columns 3-4, must beat 7 between them.
The bottom pair reads 5 and 5, but the two 5s arrive on different dominoes: the 0-5 domino lies across the bottom row, columns 2-3, with its 5 in column 3, and the 5-1 domino stands in column 4, rows 3-4, with its 5 at the bottom.
The pair across the top row, columns 3-4, must add to 6, and it reads 4 beside 2: the 4-2 domino lies across the top row, columns 2-3, and the 2-2 domino stands in column 4, rows 1-2.
The Medium solution
The solved Medium board: every cell shows its pip count, then the placements and a check of every region rule.
Placements: 1-0 down column 1, rows 1-2 · 4-2 across row 1, columns 2-3 · 2-2 down column 4, rows 1-2 · 2-0 across row 2, columns 2-3 · 3-4 down column 1, rows 3-4 · 5-1 down column 4, rows 3-4 · 0-5 across row 4, columns 2-3
- Less than 2 1 = 1
- All equal 2 = 2
- Adds to 6 4 + 2
- Adds to 4 0 + 4
- Adds to 2 0 + 2
- Less than 2 0 = 0
- Greater than 7 5 + 5 = 10
- No rule 2 cells 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 a 5 in column 1, a 3 in column 6 and a 4 in column 7, and the cell at row 1, column 4 must beat 1 - it is a 6.
A column of zeros anchors the middle: the three cells in column 4, rows 4-6, form an equals region and all read 0. The 0-6 domino lies across row 4, columns 3-4, with its 0 in column 4, and the 0-0 domino stands in column 4, rows 5-6.
The bottom-right corner closes neatly: the pair across row 6, columns 6-7, is an equals pair of 2s from the 2-2 domino lying flat there, and the pair above it, row 5, columns 6-7, must add to 8 - a 2 beside a 6, from the 4-2 domino standing in column 6, rows 4-5, and the 6-3 domino standing in column 7, rows 4-5.
The Hard solution
The solved Hard board: every cell shows its pip count, then the placements and a check of every region rule.
Placements: 2-5 down column 1, rows 1-2 · 6-1 down column 4, rows 1-2 · 3-1 down column 6, rows 1-2 · 0-4 down column 7, rows 1-2 · 5-5 down column 2, rows 2-3 · 4-4 down column 1, rows 3-4 · 4-5 across row 3, columns 3-4 · 2-6 across row 3, columns 6-7 · 0-6 across row 4, columns 3-4 · 4-2 down column 6, rows 4-5 · 6-3 down column 7, rows 4-5 · 3-2 down column 1, rows 5-6 · 0-0 down column 4, rows 5-6 · 2-2 across row 6, columns 6-7
- Adds to 5 5
- Greater than 1 6 = 6
- Adds to 3 3
- Adds to 4 4
- Adds to 6 2 + 4
- Greater than 4 5 = 5
- Adds to 2 0 + 2
- Greater than 4 5 = 5
- Adds to 10 4 + 6
- Less than 5 4 = 4
- All equal 0 = 0 = 0
- Adds to 4 4
- Adds to 3 3
- Adds to 5 3 + 2
- Adds to 8 2 + 6
- All equal 2 = 2
- No rule 4 cells in blank regions, free to take any value