Happy Monday! Here’s your guide to Pips, the latest addition to the New York Times gaming collection.

Today’s games escalate in difficulty quickly, but we have all the strategies you need to overcome them.

Launched in August 2025, Pips offers a novel twist on dominoes, crafting an intriguing single-player experience that could easily become your next daily gaming habit.

At present, if you find yourself stuck, the game only permits you to unveil the entire puzzle, prompting you to advance to the next difficulty level and restart. But don’t fret, we’ve got your back! Below are detailed solutions that will assist you in tackling each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you’ve experienced dominoes before, you’ll grasp the fundamentals of how Pips operates. As noted in prior Pips hint pieces, the tiles, much like dominoes, can be placed either vertically or horizontally and interconnect with one another. The significant distinction between conventional dominoes and Pips lies in the color-coded conditions that must be satisfied. The connecting tiles don’t always need to match.

The requirements you need to meet are particular to the color-coded spaces. For example, if a single numeral is given, every side of a tile in that space must sum up to that numeral. It is feasible – and typical – for just half of a tile to reside within a color-coded space.

Here are typical examples you’ll face across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this area must total the specified number.

• Equal: Each domino half in this area must exhibit the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Each domino half in this area must showcase a completely distinct number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this area must total fewer than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this area must total more than the number.

If an area is devoid of color coding, it signifies that there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those regions.

Easy difficulty hints, solutions for Sept. 30 Pips

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