How To Play Pips

In Pips, you have a grid of multicolored boxes. Each colored area represents a different “condition” that you have to achieve. You have a select number of dominoes that you have to spend filling in the grid. You must use every domino and achieve every condition properly to win. There are Easy, Medium and Difficult tiers.

Here’s an example of a difficult tier Pips:

As you can see, the grid has a bunch of symbols and numbers with each color. On the far left, the three purple squares must not equal one another (hence the equal sign crossed out). The two pink squares next to that must equal a total of 0. The zig-zagging blue squares all must equal one another. You click on dominoes to rotate them, and will need to since they have to be rotated to fit where they belong.

Not shown on this grid are other conditions, such as “less than” or “greater than.” If there are multiple tiles with > or < signs, the total of those tiles must be greater or less than the listed number. It varies by grid. Blank spaces can have anything. The various possible conditions are:

• = All pips must equal one another in this group.
• ≠ All pips must not equal one another in this group.
• > The pip in this tile (or tiles) must be greater than the listed number.
• < The pip in this tile must be less than the listed number.
• An exact number (like 6) The pip must equal this exact number.
• Tiles with no conditions can be anything.

In order to win, you have to use up all your dominoes by filling in all the squares, making sure to fit each condition. Sometimes there’s only one way to solve the puzzle. Other times, there can be two or more different solutions. Play today’s Pips puzzle here.

Today’s Pips Solutions And Walkthrough

Below are the solutions for the Easy and Medium tier Pips. After that, I’ll walk you through the Hard puzzle. Spoilers ahead.

Today’s Easy Pips

Today’s Medium Pips

Hard Pips Walkthrough And Solution

Here’s today’s Hard Pips:

Today’s Hard Pips is a real doozy. No free tiles, nothing larger than single-tile conditions. Only totals, no = or > or <. A real doozy and no clear place to start. It’s actually not a bad strategy to just start laying down dominoes until you hit a point where they no longer work, and then asking “What is the reason this doesn’t work here? What am I missing?” Since we have no doubles, the real trick on this grid is finding spots where two of the same number are right next to one another. This can at least partially clue you in to what you’ll need.

Step 1

There are two 5’s in the top right corner. We know the Green 5 has to go up to Dark Blue 3 or over to Purple 0 but we know it can’t go to Purple 0 because Dark Blue 3 is right next to Green 3. Place the 5/3 domino from Green 5 up into Dark Blue 3 and the 3/0 domino from Green 3 down into Purple 0.

Right below here are three 2’s in close proximity. We know that Pink 2 can’t go over to Purple 2 or up to Purple 2. It could go over to Blue 4, but I like the 5/4 domino for that one because there are no other spots on this grid where a 5 is next to a 4. Place the 2/0 domino from Purple 2 over into Pink 0 and the 4/5 domino from Blue 4 down into Orange 5. Place the 2/1 domino next to that from Pink 2 into Blue 1. Step #1, and the two right columns, in the bag.

Step 2

Place the 4/0 domino from Blue 4 over into Orange 0 and the 1/0 domino from Orange 1 into Blue 0. This is the only spot left on the board where a 1 and a 0 are next to one another and, with that piece down, the only spot where a 4 and a 0 are next to each other. The 5/1 domino goes from Dark Blue 5 down into Green 1 and the 5/2 domino goes from Green 5 over to Purple 2. That leaves the 5/0 domino from Purple 5 over into Pink 0. Done with Step #!

Solution

Place the 4/2 domino from Pink 4 into Purple 2 at the top left of the board. Next, place the 3/1 domino from Pink 3 down into Blue 1 and the 4/3 domino from Orange 4 over into Dark Blue 3. Place the 4/1 domino from Orange 4 down into Dark Blue 1 and the 3/2 domino from Dark Blue 3 down into Green 2. At last, this monster of a Pips has been slain!

These are always (or almost always) such tough ones, and always a bit overwhelming when you first see them. You really have to figure out what the puzzle is forcing you to do, which isn’t always easy, but without doubles, finding those repeat tiles was crucial today.

How’d you do on today’s Pips?

Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. Be sure to follow me for all your daily puzzle-solving guides, TV show and movie reviews and more here on this blog!