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 the word “DAD” because it’s Father’s Day! It’s a 16-domino puzzle and quite tricky. The NYT puzzle setters did not pull punches for the dads. Only one domino is for certain, so we’ll start there. Other important considerations:

• We have two isolated groups — Orange 8 and Purple 10 — and two dominoes that could work in each. Keep an eye on those.
• We have one double — 5/5 — which could work in Purple 10 but is more likely going into an = group meaning the 4/6 domino will probably be in Purple 10.
• Every blank will go in a 0 tile or group. We have just enough for these, so don’t place them anywhere else.

Step 1

Place the 3/0 domino from Dark Blue 3 into Orange 0. No other domino can go here. The rest, we’ll have to make some educated guesses. We only have one double, and I suspect it goes in the 4-tile Dark Blue = group. Place the 1/5 domino from Pink < 2 into Dark Blue =. The 5/5 domino goes above this. Since we have no other doubles, a 5 domino has to go into Green = so we can’t have the Dark Blue connect with the free tile. Place the 5/2 domino from Dark Blue = into Green =.

Step 2

The 2/3 domino goes from Green = into Blue = and the 3/6 domino goes from Blue = into Orange > 4. The 3/5 could go here also, but I’m saving it as it’s one of the only dominoes that can work in Orange 8. Move back to the “D” and place the 0/6 domino from Orange 0 into Green = and the 0/5 domino from Green 0 into Dark Blue 6.

Step 3

Place the 1/6 domino from Dark Blue 6 into Green = and the 4/6 domino in Purple 10. Place the 4/5 domino from Pink 4 into Purple 6 in the first “D” and the 0/2 domino from Pink 0 into Purple 8.

Solution

The 1/2 domino goes from Purple 6 into Blue 4 and the 2/6 domino from Blue 4 into Purple 8. The 5/3 domino goes in Orange 8 and the 4/3 domino goes from the only free tile over into Blue =. And we’re done!

Happy Father’s Day! Happy Summer Solstice!

How’d you do on today’s Pips?

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