Pips hints and answers for Monday, October 26, 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. Today brings three boards, edited by Ian Livengood: an Easy board by Livengood with 5 dominoes, then Medium and Hard boards by Rodolfo Kurchan with 7 and 16 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.
Start with the equals region in the top-left corner: its three cells must all show the same number, so look at which value the tray can supply three times.
The two bottom-middle cells must add to 11, the biggest sum on the board. The largest half in the tray is a 6, so the other cell has to be a 5.
Place the 1-1 domino across the top row, columns 1-2: both halves sit in the equals region, and the region's third cell, just below, takes the 1 from the 2-1 domino.
The Easy solution
The solved Easy board: every cell shows its pip count, then the placements and a check of every region rule.
Placements: 1-1 across row 1, columns 1-2 · 2-1 down column 1, rows 2-3 · 6-4 down column 4, rows 2-3 · 5-5 across row 4, columns 1-2 · 1-6 across row 4, columns 3-4
- All equal 1 = 1 = 1
- Adds to 7 2 + 5
- Adds to 7 6 + 1
- Adds to 11 5 + 6
- No rule 1 cell in blank regions, free to take any value
Medium board - hints
Hint 0 of 3By Rodolfo Kurchan · Tap to show one hint at a time.
Four single cells are pinned almost exactly: the top-left cell must beat 2, the cell below it must be exactly 4, and the cell under the equals trio must be less than 1, so it can only be 0.
The equals region across the top is three 1s. Two come from the 1-1 domino standing in column 3, rows 1-2; the third is the 1 half of the 1-3 domino lying across the top row.
On row 3, the not-equal pair is 6 and 5: the 6-4 domino stands in column 1 with its 6 on row 3, and the 0-5 domino stands in column 2 with its 5 on row 3.
The Medium solution
The solved Medium board: every cell shows its pip count, then the placements and a check of every region rule.
Placements: 1-3 across row 1, columns 1-2 · 1-1 down column 3, rows 1-2 · 6-4 down column 1, rows 2-3 · 0-5 down column 2, rows 2-3 · 4-5 down column 4, rows 2-3 · 2-1 down column 5, rows 2-3 · 2-5 down column 3, rows 3-4
- Greater than 2 3 = 3
- All equal 1 = 1 = 1
- Adds to 4 4
- Less than 1 0 = 0
- Less than 5 2 = 2
- All different 6, 5
- Adds to 5 4 + 1
- Greater than 2 5 = 5
- 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.
Fourteen cells on this board carry an exact number as single-cell regions. Work those first: the top-right corner pair is 5 and 4, and one cell in row 4 must show 0.
Two long equals regions anchor the middle: one bends through row 3 and down column 3 with four 1s, and column 7, rows 3-6, is all 0s.
The greater-than-8 region on the right edge, column 9, rows 4-5, is the 6-3 domino standing upright: 6 on row 4 and 3 on row 5, making 9 in total.
The Hard solution
The solved Hard board: every cell shows its pip count, then the placements and a check of every region rule.
Placements: 5-3 down column 8, rows 1-2 · 4-4 down column 9, rows 1-2 · 0-5 down column 7, rows 2-3 · 5-1 across row 3, columns 1-2 · 1-0 across row 3, columns 3-4 · 2-4 across row 3, columns 5-6 · 2-6 across row 3, columns 8-9 · 4-0 down column 2, rows 4-5 · 1-1 down column 3, rows 4-5 · 2-3 down column 4, rows 4-5 · 6-1 down column 5, rows 4-5 · 5-2 down column 6, rows 4-5 · 0-0 down column 7, rows 4-5 · 3-6 down column 9, rows 4-5 · 3-3 across row 6, columns 2-3 · 0-6 across row 6, columns 6-7
- Adds to 5 5
- Adds to 4 4
- Adds to 5 5
- Adds to 5 5
- All equal 1 = 1 = 1 = 1
- Adds to 4 0 + 4
- Adds to 2 2
- All equal 0 = 0 = 0 = 0
- Adds to 2 2
- Adds to 6 6
- Adds to 0 0
- Adds to 2 2
- Adds to 6 6
- Adds to 5 5
- Greater than 8 6 + 3 = 9
- Adds to 7 4 + 3
- Adds to 3 3
- Adds to 1 1
- Adds to 8 2 + 6
- Adds to 3 3
- No rule 2 cells in blank regions, free to take any value