Pips hints and answers for Friday, November 6, 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.
This board is built from pairs that match: three of its regions are equals regions - the pair across row 3, columns 1-2, the pair standing in column 3, rows 2-3, and the pair across row 4, columns 2-3 - so each pair holds the same value twice. What is left is a three-cell sum: row 1, columns 1-2, plus row 2, column 1, adds to exactly 4, and a single at row 1, column 3 that must beat 4.
The three equals pairs are two 6s, two 3s and two 0s. The sum-4 trio reads 1, 1 and 2, and the single that must beat 4 is a 5.
The 1-1 domino lies across row 1, columns 1-2, opening the sum trio, and the 5-3 domino stands in column 3, rows 1-2, its 5 beating 4 and its 3 opening the column's equals pair. The 2-6 domino stands in column 1, rows 2-3, its 2 closing the sum at 4 and its 6 opening the row 3 pair. The 6-3 domino lies across row 3, columns 2-3, its 6 completing the first equals pair and its 3 completing the column pair. The 0-0 domino lies across row 4, columns 2-3, the last equals pair.
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 · 5-3 down column 3, rows 1-2 · 2-6 down column 1, rows 2-3 · 6-3 across row 3, columns 2-3 · 0-0 across row 4, columns 2-3
- All equal 6 = 6
- All equal 3 = 3
- All equal 0 = 0
- Adds to 4 1 + 1 + 2
- Greater than 4 5 = 5
Medium board - hints
Hint 0 of 3By Rodolfo Kurchan · Tap to show one hint at a time.
Start with the four-cell equals block in the middle: rows 3-4, columns 2-3 all hold the same value. A three-cell region at the top - row 1, column 3, plus row 2, columns 2-3 - is an unequal region, so all three values differ. The three cells down column 1, rows 2-4, add to less than 10, the pair across row 3, columns 4-5 adds to exactly 5, and the single at row 4, column 5 must beat 4. One cell carries no rule at all: row 4, column 4.
The equals block is four 4s. The column 1 trio is three 2s, adding to 6, the unequal trio reads 2, 3 and 0, and the sum-5 pair reads 4 and 1, while the single that must beat 4 is a 5.
The 2-2 domino stands in column 1, rows 2-3, and the 2-4 domino lies across row 4, columns 1-2, its 4 opening the equals block. The 4-4 domino stands in column 3, rows 3-4, completing the block, and the 4-3 domino stands in column 2, rows 3-2, its 3 rising into the unequal trio. The 2-0 domino stands in column 3, rows 1-2, its 2 at the top and its blank closing the unequal trio. The 4-1 domino lies across row 3, columns 4-5, the sum-5 pair. The 5-0 domino lies across row 4, columns 5-4, its 5 beating 4 in column 5 and its blank in the free cell in column 4.
The Medium solution
The solved Medium board: every cell shows its pip count, then the placements and a check of every region rule.
Placements: 2-0 down column 3, rows 1-2 · 2-2 down column 1, rows 2-3 · 4-3 down column 2, rows 2-3 · 4-4 down column 3, rows 3-4 · 4-1 across row 3, columns 4-5 · 2-4 across row 4, columns 1-2 · 5-0 across row 4, columns 4-5
- All different 2, 3, 0
- Less than 10 2 + 2 + 2 = 6
- All equal 4 = 4 = 4 = 4
- Adds to 5 4 + 1
- Greater than 4 5 = 5
- 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.
This board pins more single cells than most: row 1, column 1 is exactly 2, row 2, column 2 is exactly 4, row 2, column 3 is exactly 6, row 2, column 6 is exactly 4, row 4, column 2 is exactly 5, row 6, column 1 is exactly 3, the pair standing in column 1, rows 4-5 adds to exactly 3, and the pair standing in column 4, rows 2-3 adds to exactly 6. Around them: the pair across row 1, columns 2-3 is unequal, the pair standing in column 1, rows 2-3 is an equals region, row 3, column 2 is less than 4, row 5, column 2 must beat 2, row 1, column 5 must beat 4, and row 2, column 5 is less than 2. Low down, the pair across row 6, columns 2-3 adds to 5, three cells across row 6, columns 4-6 form an equals region, and a trio - row 4, columns 5-6, plus row 5, column 6 - must beat 9, while the pair across row 3, columns 5-6 is unequal.
The equals pair in column 1 is two 1s, and the low equals trio is three 0s. The greater-than-9 trio reads 2, 5 and 3, the sum-6 pair in column 4 reads 4 over 2, the sum-3 pair in column 1 reads 1 over 2, and the unequal pair in row 1 reads 6 and 3 - all different, as required.
The 2-1 domino stands in column 1, rows 1-2, its 2 filling the pinned single at the top and its 1 opening the equals pair, and the 4-3 domino stands in column 2, rows 2-3, its 4 filling the pinned single in row 2 and its 3 under the less-than-4 cap in row 3. The 1-1 domino stands in column 1, rows 3-4, completing the equals pair at the top and opening the sum-3 pair below it, and the 2-3 domino stands in column 1, rows 5-6, its 2 closing that pair at 3 and its 3 filling the pinned single at the bottom. The 6-3 domino lies across row 1, columns 2-3, the unequal pair, and the 5-1 domino stands in column 5, rows 1-2, its 5 beating 4 and its 1 under the less-than-2 cap. The 6-4 domino lies across row 2, columns 3-4, its 6 filling the pinned single and its 4 opening the sum-6 pair, and the 4-4 domino stands in column 6, rows 2-3, its top 4 filling the pinned single in row 2. The 2-2 domino lies across row 3, columns 4-5, its first 2 closing the sum-6 pair and its second 2 opening the unequal pair in that row. The 5-4 domino stands in column 2, rows 4-5, its 5 filling the pinned single in row 4 and its 4 beating 2 in row 5. The 2-5 domino lies across row 4, columns 5-6, opening the greater-than-9 trio, and the 3-0 domino stands in column 6, rows 5-6, its 3 closing that trio at 10 and its blank joining the equals trio along the bottom. The 1-4 domino lies across row 6, columns 2-3, the sum-5 pair, and the 0-0 domino lies across row 6, columns 4-5, two of the three matching blanks.
The Hard solution
The solved Hard board: every cell shows its pip count, then the placements and a check of every region rule.
Placements: 2-1 down column 1, rows 1-2 · 6-3 across row 1, columns 2-3 · 5-1 down column 5, rows 1-2 · 4-3 down column 2, rows 2-3 · 6-4 across row 2, columns 3-4 · 4-4 down column 6, rows 2-3 · 1-1 down column 1, rows 3-4 · 2-2 across row 3, columns 4-5 · 5-4 down column 2, rows 4-5 · 2-5 across row 4, columns 5-6 · 2-3 down column 1, rows 5-6 · 3-0 down column 6, rows 5-6 · 1-4 across row 6, columns 2-3 · 0-0 across row 6, columns 4-5
- Adds to 2 2
- All different 6, 3
- All equal 1 = 1
- Adds to 3 1 + 2
- Adds to 3 3
- Adds to 4 4
- Less than 4 3 = 3
- Adds to 5 5
- Greater than 2 4 = 4
- Adds to 5 1 + 4
- All equal 0 = 0 = 0
- Greater than 9 2 + 5 + 3 = 10
- Adds to 6 6
- Adds to 6 4 + 2
- All different 2, 4
- Adds to 4 4
- Greater than 4 5 = 5
- Less than 2 1 = 1