Pips hints and answers for Monday, November 9, 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, a Medium board by Rodolfo Kurchan with 7 dominoes, and a Hard board by Kurchan with 15 dominoes. Each board gets its own hint ladder below, then its solved grid behind a tap, ready when you are.
Easy board - hints
Hint 0 of 3By Ian Livengood · Tap to show one hint at a time.
This board turns on one low region: the three cells at row 3, columns 1-2, together with row 4, column 2, must add to less than 3. Two pairs are pinned to exact sums: column 3, rows 2-3 adds to exactly 9, and row 2, columns 1-2 adds to exactly 6. One single is pinned outright: row 3, column 4 is exactly 4. One single must beat its target rather than hit it: row 1, column 1 must beat 4. One cell carries no rule at all: row 1, column 2.
The less-than-3 trio is three blanks, which settles three cells at once. The sum-9 pair reads 6 and 3, the sum-6 pair is two 3s, the pinned single is its 4, and the single that must beat 4 is a 6.
The 6-4 domino lies across row 1, columns 1-2, its 6 at column 1 and its 4 at column 2. The 3-4 domino lies across row 3, columns 3-4, its 3 at column 3 and its 4 at column 4. The 3-0 domino stands in column 1, rows 2-3, its 3 at row 2 and its 0 at row 3. The 3-6 domino lies across row 2, columns 2-3, its 3 at column 2 and its 6 at column 3. The 0-0 domino stands in column 2, rows 3-4, its 0 at row 3 and its 0 at row 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: 6-4 across row 1, columns 1-2 · 3-0 down column 1, rows 2-3 · 3-6 across row 2, columns 2-3 · 0-0 down column 2, rows 3-4 · 3-4 across row 3, columns 3-4
- Less than 3 0 + 0 + 0 = 0
- Adds to 9 6 + 3
- Adds to 4 4
- Adds to 6 3 + 3
- Greater than 4 6 = 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.
Start with the equals block: the four cells in rows 1-2, columns 1-2 must all hold the same value. Three singles must beat their targets: row 1, column 3 must beat 4, row 3, column 3 must beat 2, and row 3, column 5 must beat 1. A three-cell group must beat 10 between them: row 2, columns 3-4 together with row 3, column 4. The pair down column 1, rows 3-4, must beat 4 as a pair. One single is capped instead: row 3, column 2 is less than 3 on its own. One cell carries no rule at all: row 2, column 5.
The equals block is four blanks. The trio that must beat 10 reads 3, 3 and 5, for 11 in all. The pair down column 1 reads 2 and 4, and the capped single is a 1. The three singles that must beat their targets are a 5, a 3 and a 2.
The 1-3 domino lies across row 3, columns 2-3, its 1 at column 2 and its 3 at column 3. The 3-0 domino lies across row 2, columns 2-3, its 0 at column 2 and its 3 at column 3. The 5-3 domino stands in column 4, rows 2-3, its 3 at row 2 and its 5 at row 3. The 0-0 domino stands in column 1, rows 1-2, its 0 at row 1 and its 0 at row 2. The 0-5 domino lies across row 1, columns 2-3, its 0 at column 2 and its 5 at column 3. The 2-4 domino stands in column 1, rows 3-4, its 2 at row 3 and its 4 at row 4. The 1-2 domino stands in column 5, rows 2-3, its 1 at row 2 and its 2 at 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: 0-0 down column 1, rows 1-2 · 0-5 across row 1, columns 2-3 · 3-0 across row 2, columns 2-3 · 5-3 down column 4, rows 2-3 · 1-2 down column 5, rows 2-3 · 2-4 down column 1, rows 3-4 · 1-3 across row 3, columns 2-3
- All equal 0 = 0 = 0 = 0
- Greater than 4 5 = 5
- Greater than 10 3 + 3 + 5 = 11
- Greater than 4 2 + 4 = 6
- Less than 3 1 = 1
- Greater than 2 3 = 3
- Greater than 1 2 = 2
- 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 turns on its matches and its contrasts. Two equals regions sit across the top right: row 1, columns 4-6 must all match, and so must row 2, columns 5-6. Against them, two unequal regions demand difference: row 2, columns 1-2 together with row 3, column 1 must all differ, and so must the pair in column 5, rows 3-4. A four-cell region down the left - row 4, column 1, row 5, columns 1-2 and row 6, column 2 - must add to less than 11. A scatter of singles are pinned to exact values: 4 at row 1, column 1, 1 at row 2, column 3, 5 at row 2, column 4, 5 at row 3, column 3, 0 at row 3, column 6, 3 at row 5, column 3, 5 at row 6, column 1 and 2 at row 6, column 5. The pair across row 1, columns 2-3 adds to exactly 7, the three cells down column 6, rows 4-6, add to exactly 2, the single at row 3, column 4 stays under 3, and the pair across row 6, columns 3-4 must beat 8.
Both equals regions are uniform: the row 1 trio is three 1s and the row 2 pair is two 6s. The unequal trio reads 0, 6 and 2, all different as required, and the unequal pair reads 1 and 4. The less-than-11 region reads 2, 2, 3 and 3, adding to 10. The column 6 trio adds to exactly 2 with 0, 1 and 1, and the pair that must beat 8 reads 3 and 6, for 9.
The 4-4 domino lies across row 1, columns 1-2, its 4 at column 1 and its 4 at column 2. The 3-3 domino lies across row 5, columns 2-3, its 3 at column 2 and its 3 at column 3. The 6-1 domino lies across row 2, columns 2-3, its 6 at column 2 and its 1 at column 3. The 1-2 domino lies across row 6, columns 5-6, its 2 at column 5 and its 1 at column 6. The 2-0 domino stands in column 1, rows 2-3, its 0 at row 2 and its 2 at row 3. The 0-1 domino stands in column 6, rows 4-5, its 0 at row 4 and its 1 at row 5. The 1-1 domino lies across row 1, columns 5-6, its 1 at column 5 and its 1 at column 6. The 1-4 domino stands in column 5, rows 3-4, its 1 at row 3 and its 4 at row 4. The 2-5 domino lies across row 3, columns 3-4, its 5 at column 3 and its 2 at column 4. The 5-6 domino lies across row 2, columns 4-5, its 5 at column 4 and its 6 at column 5. The 3-6 domino lies across row 6, columns 3-4, its 3 at column 3 and its 6 at column 4. The 5-3 domino lies across row 6, columns 1-2, its 5 at column 1 and its 3 at column 2. The 2-2 domino stands in column 1, rows 4-5, its 2 at row 4 and its 2 at row 5. The 1-3 domino lies across row 1, columns 3-4, its 3 at column 3 and its 1 at column 4. The 6-0 domino stands in column 6, rows 2-3, its 6 at row 2 and its 0 at row 3.
The Hard solution
The solved Hard board: every cell shows its pip count, then the placements and a check of every region rule.
Placements: 4-4 across row 1, columns 1-2 · 1-3 across row 1, columns 3-4 · 1-1 across row 1, columns 5-6 · 2-0 down column 1, rows 2-3 · 6-1 across row 2, columns 2-3 · 5-6 across row 2, columns 4-5 · 6-0 down column 6, rows 2-3 · 2-5 across row 3, columns 3-4 · 1-4 down column 5, rows 3-4 · 2-2 down column 1, rows 4-5 · 0-1 down column 6, rows 4-5 · 3-3 across row 5, columns 2-3 · 5-3 across row 6, columns 1-2 · 3-6 across row 6, columns 3-4 · 1-2 across row 6, columns 5-6
- All different 0, 6, 2
- Adds to 7 4 + 3
- All equal 1 = 1 = 1
- Adds to 1 1
- Adds to 5 5
- All equal 6 = 6
- Adds to 5 5
- Less than 3 2 = 2
- All different 1, 4
- Adds to 0 0
- Less than 11 2 + 2 + 3 + 3 = 10
- Adds to 2 0 + 1 + 1
- Adds to 3 3
- Adds to 5 5
- Greater than 8 3 + 6 = 9
- Adds to 2 2
- Adds to 4 4