Pips hints and answers for Thursday, November 5, 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 15 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 pairs carry exact sums: the pair across row 1, columns 1-2 adds to 11, and the pair across row 5, columns 1-2 also adds to 11. A four-cell region - column 1, rows 2-4, plus row 3, column 2 - adds to 14. Two singles are capped from above: row 1, column 3 is less than 2, and row 5, column 3 is less than 3.
Both sum-11 pairs read 6 and 5. The four-cell region reads 0, 4, 6 and 4 down the column and across, and the two capped singles are a 1 and a 2.
The 6-0 domino stands in column 1, rows 1-2, its 6 opening the top sum and its blank opening the four-cell region. The 5-1 domino lies across row 1, columns 2-3, its 5 completing the sum of 11 and its 1 under the less-than-2 cap. The 4-4 domino lies across row 3, columns 1-2. The 6-6 domino stands in column 1, rows 4-5, its top 6 finishing the four-cell region at 14 and its bottom 6 opening the bottom sum. The 5-2 domino lies across row 5, columns 2-3, its 5 completing the second 11 and its 2 under the less-than-3 cap.
The Easy solution
The solved Easy board: every cell shows its pip count, then the placements and a check of every region rule.
Placements: 6-0 down column 1, rows 1-2 · 5-1 across row 1, columns 2-3 · 4-4 across row 3, columns 1-2 · 6-6 down column 1, rows 4-5 · 5-2 across row 5, columns 2-3
- Adds to 11 6 + 5
- Adds to 11 6 + 5
- Adds to 14 0 + 4 + 6 + 4
- Less than 2 1 = 1
- Less than 3 2 = 2
Medium board - hints
Hint 0 of 3By Rodolfo Kurchan · Tap to show one hint at a time.
Start with the pinned cells: row 3, column 2 is exactly 2 and row 3, column 5 is exactly 1, while row 1, column 2 must beat 0. The pair standing in column 3, rows 1-2, adds to 6, the pair standing in column 4, rows 1-2, is an equals region, and the pair across row 2, columns 1-2, must beat 4. The pair across row 3, columns 3-4, is an unequal region - its two values must differ - and the three cells across row 4, columns 2-4, add to 8.
The equals pair is two 3s. The unequal pair reads 0 and 5, the sum-6 pair reads 2 over 4, and the row 4 trio reads 3, 1 and 4, adding to 8.
The 1-2 domino lies across row 1, columns 2-3, its 1 beating 0 and its 2 opening the sum-6 pair. The 3-3 domino stands in column 4, rows 1-2, the equals pair. The 5-3 domino lies across row 2, columns 1-2, its 5 and 3 beating 4 together. The 4-0 domino stands in column 3, rows 2-3, its 4 completing the sum of 6 and its blank opening the unequal pair. The 2-3 domino stands in column 2, rows 3-4, its 2 filling the pinned single and its 3 opening the row 4 trio. The 4-1 domino lies across row 4, columns 3-4, its 1 in column 3 and its 4 in column 4, closing the trio at 8. The 5-1 domino lies across row 3, columns 4-5, its 5 completing the unequal pair and its 1 filling the second pinned single.
The Medium solution
The solved Medium board: every cell shows its pip count, then the placements and a check of every region rule.
Placements: 1-2 across row 1, columns 2-3 · 3-3 down column 4, rows 1-2 · 5-3 across row 2, columns 1-2 · 4-0 down column 3, rows 2-3 · 2-3 down column 2, rows 3-4 · 5-1 across row 3, columns 4-5 · 4-1 across row 4, columns 3-4
- Greater than 0 1 = 1
- Adds to 6 2 + 4
- All equal 3 = 3
- Greater than 4 5 + 3 = 8
- Adds to 2 2
- All different 0, 5
- Adds to 1 1
- Adds to 8 3 + 1 + 4
Hard board - hints
Hint 0 of 3By Rodolfo Kurchan · Tap to show one hint at a time.
Work the edges first: the single at row 1, column 7 must beat 4, the pair across row 2, columns 8-9 adds to 2, and the pair across row 3, columns 8-9 adds to 5. A three-cell region - row 2, column 1, plus row 3, columns 1-2 - must beat 17, and a second trio - row 4, column 1, plus row 5, columns 1-2 - adds to exactly 16. In the middle, a trio - row 4, columns 2-3, plus row 5, column 3 - is an unequal region, four cells - row 4, columns 5-6, plus row 5, columns 5-6 - form an equals region, and the pair standing in column 7, rows 4-5, adds to 3. Three cells carry no rule at all: row 2, column 7, row 3, column 7 and row 4, column 4. Low down, a trio - row 6, column 2, plus row 7, columns 2-3 - adds to 10, the single at row 5, column 4 is less than 3, the single at row 6, column 7 is less than 2, the single at row 7, column 7 is exactly 2, and the single at row 7, column 8 must beat 3.
The equals region is four 3s. The greater-than-17 trio is three 6s, adding to 18, the sum-16 trio reads 4, 6 and 6, and the unequal trio reads 5, 4 and 0 - all different, as required. The sum-2 pair in row 2 is two 1s, the sum-5 pair in row 3 reads 5 and 0, and the sum-10 trio low down reads 3, 3 and 4.
The 6-6 domino stands in column 1, rows 2-3, the top of the greater-than-17 trio, and the 6-5 domino stands in column 2, rows 3-4, its 6 completing the trio at 18 and its 5 opening the unequal region. The 6-4 domino stands in column 1, rows 4-5, its 4 in row 4 and its 6 in row 5, closing the sum-16 trio. The 4-0 domino stands in column 3, rows 4-5, and the 5-3 domino lies across row 4, columns 4-5, its 5 in the free cell and its 3 opening the equals region. The 3-3 domino stands in column 6, rows 4-5, and the 2-3 domino lies across row 5, columns 4-5, its 2 under the less-than-3 cap and its 3 finishing the equals four. The 1-4 domino stands in column 7, rows 3-4, its 4 in row 3 and its 1 in row 4, closing the sum-3 pair. The 2-1 domino stands in column 7, rows 5-6, its 1 under the less-than-2 cap. The 4-5 domino stands in column 7, rows 1-2, its 5 beating 4 in row 1 and its 4 in the free cell in row 2. The 1-1 domino lies across row 2, columns 8-9, and the 0-5 domino lies across row 3, columns 8-9, its 5 in column 8 and its blank in column 9. The 3-6 domino stands in column 2, rows 5-6, its 6 in row 5 and its 3 in row 6, and the 3-4 domino lies across row 7, columns 2-3, closing the sum-10 trio. The 6-2 domino lies across row 7, columns 7-8, its 2 filling the pinned single in column 7 and its 6 beating 3 in column 8.
The Hard solution
The solved Hard board: every cell shows its pip count, then the placements and a check of every region rule.
Placements: 4-5 down column 7, rows 1-2 · 6-6 down column 1, rows 2-3 · 1-1 across row 2, columns 8-9 · 6-5 down column 2, rows 3-4 · 1-4 down column 7, rows 3-4 · 0-5 across row 3, columns 8-9 · 6-4 down column 1, rows 4-5 · 4-0 down column 3, rows 4-5 · 5-3 across row 4, columns 4-5 · 3-3 down column 6, rows 4-5 · 3-6 down column 2, rows 5-6 · 2-3 across row 5, columns 4-5 · 2-1 down column 7, rows 5-6 · 3-4 across row 7, columns 2-3 · 6-2 across row 7, columns 7-8
- Greater than 4 5 = 5
- Greater than 17 6 + 6 + 6 = 18
- Adds to 2 1 + 1
- Adds to 5 5 + 0
- Adds to 16 4 + 6 + 6
- All different 5, 4, 0
- All equal 3 = 3 = 3 = 3
- Adds to 3 1 + 2
- Less than 3 2 = 2
- Adds to 10 3 + 3 + 4
- Less than 2 1 = 1
- Adds to 2 2
- Greater than 3 6 = 6
- No rule 3 cells in blank regions, free to take any value