Your ultimate resource for Pips, the latest entry in the New York Times game series, is here.

Released in August 2025, Pips provides a new perspective on dominoes, offering a captivating single-player experience that could become part of your daily gaming habits.

If you happen to get stuck, the current version of the game permits you to reveal the entire puzzle, compelling you to transition to a higher difficulty and start again. But fear not, we are here to assist! Below you will find detailed answers that serve as clues to help you through each difficulty tier.

How to engage with Pips

If you have previously played dominoes, you will be familiar with the mechanics of Pips. As indicated in our earlier Pips hint articles, tiles, akin to dominoes, can be positioned vertically or horizontally and interconnect. The key difference between conventional dominoes and Pips lies in the color-coded requirements that you must fulfill. The connecting tiles are not always required to match.

The requirements you need to meet correspond to the color-coded sections. For example, when a single number is specified, all sides of a tile located in that section must sum up to that number. It is both possible and typical for only a portion of a tile to fall within a color-coded area.

Here are typical instances you will face across different difficulty levels:

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

• Equal: Each domino half in this section must possess the identical number of pips.

• Not Equal: Each domino half in this space must contain a unique number of pips.

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

• Greater than: Each domino half in this space must total more than the indicated number.

If a region is free of color coding, it signifies that there are no restrictions on the parts of dominoes situated in those areas.

Hints and answers for Pips easy difficulty on Dec. 13

Number (0): Everything in this area must total 0.