Need some help with the NYT Pips today? Unlike the other NYT Games, Pips is one of the few that focuses on numbers and logical placement. No worries, though, we've got you covered.
Below, we've compiled hints and solutions for the Easy and Medium puzzles, along with a comprehensive guide for the Hard Pips. You can play along here.
Spoilers below for the April 30 Pips. Only read if you want the solutions for today's Pips puzzles.
Alternatively, for more word-based puzzling, check out our guides for tips and solutions to Connections, Strands and Wordle.
Pips tips — how to play Pips
Pips is a domino placement game featuring a grid of multicolored boxes that gets more complicated and larger as you go up in difficulty. Each colored zone represents a condition you have to meet.
You select dominoes and place dominoes into the grid to meet those conditions. You must use every domino to achieve each condition and win the game. Clicking or tapping on the dominoes rotates them so you can position the tiles.
In the above example from a medium puzzle, there are four colored zones. Your placed dominoes must total 12 in the purple zone. In the teal and orange sectors, the number of domino pips must be greater than 3.
In the hard mode, the zones and symbols get more complicated. For example, you could see a crossed-out equal sign, meaning that the three squares you place must be different numbers.
Here are the various symbols you might see:
- = All pips must be the same in this group
- ≠ All pips must not be the same number in this group
- > The pips in the tile must be greater than the listed number
- < The pips in this tile must be less than the listed number
- A number [like 12], the pips must equal that exact number
- Tiles with no color can be anything; think of this as a free space
To win a game of Pips, you must fulfill every condition and fill every square. In some puzzles, there is only one correct solution. In others, usually the harder ones, there can be multiple solutions.
Today's Pips answers — hints to help you solve it
Below are the solutions for the Easy and Medium-level Pips. After that, you can find a fuller walkthrough for the Hard level. Spoilers below.
Today's Easy Pips solution
Today's Medium Pips solution
Today's Hard Pips walkthrough and solution
I must admit I never enjoy the hard Pips puzzles when they're just a solid cube or rectangle grid like today's. It's the second one this week and just bleh.
Ah well, let's crack on, shall we?
Fortunately, there's a clear starting zone smack in the middle with all of the tan free spaces. Those have to take any 1s because the 1s cannot go anywhere else.
I actually started by putting the 4/0 in the orange 4 and blue 4 in the bottom left corner. Then I had the 4/3 go in the blue 4 and olive 3. That's when the 1s clicked for me.
So, the 1/0 pops in the olive 0 above the 4/3. 1/3 goes into the orange 3 and tan space above that. 4/1 pops in the purple 4 and tan space. Then the 1/2 goes in the pink 2 square next door.
Now we can go around the edge counterclockwise. So, 3/0 goes into the pink 3 and teal 0 in the bottom row. Then the 5/1 pops in the orange >3 and teal <3 squares.
Above that, the 0/2 pops in the orange 0 and olive 4 duo. The 4/2 goes in the other olive 4 square and the blue 4 square. Below the 4, we can put the 5/0 in the purple 5 and blue 0 squares.
2/3 goes in the teal 2 and orange 3 in the top row. Then the 4/5 can go in the pink 4 and teal 5.
Finally, the 5/2 goes into the pink 5 and purple 2 squares in the upper left corner. And our final tile is the 5/3 going into the teal 5 and the last tan free space.
If you'd prefer a visual solution for today's Hard Pips puzzle, you can find it below:
Hard Pips solution
