Pips is the newest addition to the New York Times gaming lineup. Introduced in August 2025, this innovative game provides a novel approach to dominoes, offering an enjoyable single-player experience that could turn into your next daily gaming habit.

At present, if you find yourself in a bind, the game only permits you to unveil the full puzzle, necessitating that you advance to the next difficulty tier and restart. But don’t fret, we’re here to help! Below, you’ll find partial solutions that will act as clues to assist you in maneuvering through each difficulty stage.

Playing Pips

If you’re familiar with dominoes, you’ll grasp the basic mechanics of Pips. Similar to dominoes, the tiles can be arranged vertically or horizontally and link to one another. The main distinction between conventional dominoes and Pips is the color-coded criteria you need to fulfill. The connecting tiles don’t have to be identical.

The criteria you must satisfy are specific to the color-coded areas. For example, when a single number is indicated, every side of a tile within that area must total the specified number. It is common – and quite frequent – for only a part of a tile to exist within a color-coded area.

Below are typical scenarios you’ll encounter across various difficulty settings:

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

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

• Not Equal: Each domino half in this area must feature entirely different numbers of pips.

• Less than: Each domino half in this area must total less than the specified number.

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

If a region lacks color coding, it implies that there are no conditions imposed on the sections of dominoes within those areas.

Simple difficulty clues, solutions for Aug. 27

Number (1): Everything in this area must total 1. The solution is 1-0, arranged horizontally.

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