Pips hints and answers for Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Pips is the NYT domino logic game: place every domino from the tray so that each 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 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.
Start with the left edge: all three cells of column 1 (rows 1-3) form one equals region, so they must all match, and the pair across row 1, columns 2-3, is an equals region too. At the right, a three-cell region - row 2, column 3, row 2, column 4, and row 3, column 4 - must add to more than 8. Two cells carry no rule at all: row 1, column 4, and row 2, column 2.
The equals column is all 1s, and the equals pair in row 1 is two 2s. The greater-than region is three 3s, adding to 9 - the biggest halves on the board, all in one region.
The 1-2 domino lies across row 1, columns 1-2: its 1 opens the equals column and its 2 opens the equals pair. The 2-0 domino lies across row 1, columns 3-4, its 2 completing the pair and its blank in the free cell. The 1-1 domino stands in column 1, rows 2-3, completing the column of 1s. The 0-3 domino lies across row 2, columns 2-3, its blank in the free cell and its 3 opening the greater-than region, and the 3-3 domino stands in column 4, rows 2-3, closing that region with two more 3s for a total of 9.
The Easy solution
The solved Easy board: every cell shows its pip count, then the placements and a check of every region rule.
Placements: 1-2 across row 1, columns 1-2 · 2-0 across row 1, columns 3-4 · 1-1 down column 1, rows 2-3 · 0-3 across row 2, columns 2-3 · 3-3 down column 4, rows 2-3
- Greater than 8 3 + 3 + 3 = 9
- All equal 1 = 1 = 1
- All equal 2 = 2
- No rule 2 cells 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.
Start at the top left: the pair standing in column 1 (rows 1-2) must add to more than 8, the single at row 1, column 2 must beat 4, and the single at row 1, column 3 is pinned at exactly 4. Across row 2, columns 2-4 form an unequal region - all three values different. Lower down, the single at row 3, column 1 is pinned at exactly 3, a three-cell region (row 3, columns 2-3, plus row 4, column 3) must add to exactly 8, the single at row 3, column 4 is pinned at exactly 0, and the pair across row 4, columns 4-5, is an equals region.
The greater-than pair is 6 plus 3, making 9. The beat-4 single is a 5, the unequal trio reads 5, 1 and 3, and the sum-8 region reads 2, 2 and 4. The equals pair at the bottom is two 4s.
The 6-3 domino stands in column 1, rows 1-2, making the greater-than total of 9 on its own. The 5-5 domino stands in column 2, rows 1-2: its top 5 beats 4 and its bottom 5 opens the unequal trio. The 4-1 domino stands in column 3, rows 1-2 - its 4 fills the pinned single and its 1 joins the trio. The 3-0 domino stands in column 4, rows 2-3, its 3 completing the trio and its blank filling the pinned zero. The 3-2 domino lies across row 3, columns 1-2, its 3 in the pinned single and its 2 opening the sum-8 region, which the 4-2 domino completes standing in column 3, rows 3-4: its 2 in row 3 and its 4 in row 4 bring the region to 8. The 4-4 domino lies across row 4, columns 4-5, the equals pair.
The Medium solution
The solved Medium board: every cell shows its pip count, then the placements and a check of every region rule.
Placements: 6-3 down column 1, rows 1-2 · 5-5 down column 2, rows 1-2 · 4-1 down column 3, rows 1-2 · 3-0 down column 4, rows 2-3 · 3-2 across row 3, columns 1-2 · 4-2 down column 3, rows 3-4 · 4-4 across row 4, columns 4-5
- Greater than 8 6 + 3 = 9
- Greater than 4 5 = 5
- Adds to 4 4
- All different 5, 1, 3
- Adds to 3 3
- Adds to 8 2 + 2 + 4
- Adds to 0 0
- All equal 4 = 4
Hard board - hints
Hint 0 of 3By Rodolfo Kurchan · Tap to show one hint at a time.
Work the pinned singles first: row 2, column 2 and row 2, column 3 must each add to exactly 0, row 3, column 1 is also exactly 0, row 3, column 2 is exactly 6, and row 4, columns 1 and 2 are each exactly 2, with row 5, column 2 at exactly 3. Around them: the pair across row 1, columns 3-4, must beat 9, the singles at row 1, column 2 and row 1, column 5 must each stay under 2, the pair in column 1 (rows 1-2) must all differ, the pair in column 6 (rows 2-3) must match exactly, and a four-cell equals region - row 4, columns 5-6, row 5, column 6 and row 6, column 6 - anchors the right edge. The pair in column 1 (rows 5-6) must add to exactly 2, the pair across row 5, columns 4-5, must stay under 3, the single at row 6, column 2 must stay under 5, and four cells - row 2, column 5, row 3, column 5, and row 6, columns 3-4 - carry no rule.
Both pinned zero singles in row 2 are blanks, and so is the zero at row 3, column 1. The beat-9 pair is 5 plus 5, making 10, both under-2 singles are 1s, and the unequal pair in column 1 reads 2 over 5. The equals pair in column 6 is two 4s, the big equals region is all 3s, the under-3 pair in row 5 is two 1s, and the bottom pair in column 1 is a blank plus a 2.
The 2-5 domino stands in column 1, rows 1-2, the unequal pair: 2 on top, 5 below. The 0-1 domino stands in column 2, rows 1-2 - its 1 sits in the under-2 single at the top and its blank fills the pinned zero below. The 0-5 domino stands in column 3, rows 1-2 the same way: a 5 opening the beat-9 pair and a blank in the second pinned zero. The 1-5 domino lies across row 1, columns 4-5, its 5 completing the pair at 10 and its 1 in the second under-2 single. The 0-6 domino lies across row 3, columns 1-2, blank into the zero and 6 into the pinned 6, and the 2-0 domino stands in column 1, rows 4-5: its 2 fills the row 4 single and its blank opens the bottom sum-2 pair. The 3-2 domino stands in column 2, rows 4-5, its 2 in the row 4 single and its 3 in the pinned 3 below, and the 2-4 domino lies across row 6, columns 1-2, its 2 completing the sum of 2 and its 4 under the less-than-5 cap. In the middle, the 1-1 domino lies across row 5, columns 4-5, the under-3 pair, and the 5-5 domino lies across row 6, columns 3-4, in the two free cells. On the right, the 0-4 domino lies across row 2, columns 5-6 - blank in the free cell, 4 opening the equals pair - the 3-4 domino stands in column 6, rows 3-4, its 4 completing that pair and its 3 opening the big equals region, the 3-6 domino stands in column 5, rows 3-4, its 6 in the free cell in row 3 and its 3 joining the equals region, and the 3-3 domino stands in column 6, rows 5-6, closing the region with two more 3s.
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 · 0-1 down column 2, rows 1-2 · 0-5 down column 3, rows 1-2 · 1-5 across row 1, columns 4-5 · 0-4 across row 2, columns 5-6 · 0-6 across row 3, columns 1-2 · 3-6 down column 5, rows 3-4 · 3-4 down column 6, rows 3-4 · 2-0 down column 1, rows 4-5 · 3-2 down column 2, rows 4-5 · 1-1 across row 5, columns 4-5 · 3-3 down column 6, rows 5-6 · 2-4 across row 6, columns 1-2 · 5-5 across row 6, columns 3-4
- All different 2, 5
- Less than 2 1 = 1
- Greater than 9 5 + 5 = 10
- Less than 2 1 = 1
- Adds to 0 0
- Adds to 0 0
- All equal 4 = 4
- Adds to 0 0
- Adds to 6 6
- Adds to 2 2
- Adds to 2 2
- All equal 3 = 3 = 3 = 3
- Adds to 2 0 + 2
- Adds to 3 3
- Less than 3 1 + 1 = 2
- Less than 5 4 = 4
- No rule 4 cells in blank regions, free to take any value