Struggling with Easy, Medium, or Hard levels? We’ve got the solutions for you here.
Welcome to the guide on Pips, the New York Times’ latest game addition. Launched in August 2025, Pips gives a new twist to dominoes, presenting a fun solo gaming experience that might become your daily go-to.
If you’re stuck, the game only lets you reveal the entire puzzle, pushing you to the next level and starting over. But fear not—we provide hints to help you progress through each difficulty.
How to play Pips:
If you’ve played dominoes, you’ll recognize the mechanics of Pips. Tiles are positioned vertically or horizontally, connecting like dominoes. Unlike traditional dominoes, Pips has color-coded conditions where tiles don’t necessarily match.
You’ll encounter these scenarios in various levels:
– Number: Tile pips must sum to the specified number.
– Equal: All tile halves must show the same number of pips.
– Not Equal: Tile halves must have different numbers.
– Less Than: Tile halves’ sum must be below the specified number.
– Greater Than: Tile halves’ sum must exceed the specified number.
Colorless areas mean no specific tile conditions apply.
Easy Level Hints (May 12):
– Number (6): Total is 6. Place 3-2 horizontally; 4-4 horizontally.
– Greater Than (3): Values exceed 3. Use 4-4 horizontally.
– Equal (1): Pips equal 1. Use 6-1 horizontally; 1-1 horizontally.
– Number (6): Total is 6. Use 3-3 horizontally.
Medium Level Hints (May 12):
– Number (12): Total in purple is 12. Use 3-3 vertically; 1-4 horizontally; 4-3 vertically.
– Number (9): Total is 9. Use 3-3 vertically; 6-2 vertically.
– Less Than (2): Values under 2. Use 0-0 horizontally.
– Equal (3): Pips equal 3. Use 4-3 vertically; 3-5 vertically.
– Equal (2): Pips equal 2. Use 6-2 vertically; 2-4 horizontally.
– Greater Than (5): Values exceed 5. Use 2-4 horizontally; 3-5 vertically.
Hard Level Hints (May 12):
– Number (2): Total is 2. Use 1-1 horizontally.
– Number (3): Total is 3. Use 3-4 horizontally; 3-0 horizontally.
– Number (6): Total is 6. Use 3-4 horizontally; 2-0 vertically.
– Number (2): Total is 2. Use 1-0 vertically; 1-5 vertically.
– Number (4): Total is 4. Use 4-5 vertically.
– Number (0): Total is 0. Use 2-0 vertically; 1-0 vertically.
– Greater Than (4): Values exceed 4. Use 1-5 vertically.
– Equal (3): Pips equal 3. Use 3-0 horizontally; 3-3 vertically; 3-5 vertically.
– Greater Than (4): Values exceed 4. Use 4-5 vertically.
– Greater Than (4): Exceed in dark blue. Use 3-5 vertically.
– Number (1): Total is 1. Use 1-2 horizontally.
– Equal (2): Pips equal 2. Use 5-2 vertically; 1-2 horizontally; 2-2 vertically.
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