Pips is the newest entry in the New York Times game lineup. Released in August 2025, this game presents a novel approach to dominoes, offering an enjoyable single-player experience that could become your daily gaming habit.

At the moment, if you find yourself in a tough spot, the game discloses the entire puzzle, necessitating that you switch to the next level of difficulty and begin anew. But fear not, we’ve got your back! Below are incremental solutions that will act as tips to assist you through each difficulty tier.

How to engage with Pips

If you’re familiar with dominoes, you’ll recognize some aspects of how Pips is played. Similar to dominoes, the tiles are arranged either vertically or horizontally and link up with each other. The primary distinction between a classic game of dominoes and Pips lies in the color-coded requirements you must satisfy. The adjacent tiles do not necessarily need to correspond.

The requirements you need to fulfill are determined by the color-coded areas. For instance, if it specifies a single number, then each side of a tile within that area must total up to the indicated number. It is quite common for only part of a tile to fall within a color-coded area.

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

– Number: All the pips within this area must total to the specified number.
– Equal: Every half of the domino in this space must have the same count of pips.
– Not Equal: Each half of the domino in this space must have entirely distinct numbers of pips.
– Less than: Each half of the domino in this space must total to less than the specified number.
– Greater than: Each half of the domino in this space must total to more than the specified number.

If an area is devoid of any color coding, it indicates there are no stipulations regarding the segments of dominoes occupying those spaces.

Easy difficulty hints, solutions for Sept. 8 Pips

– Greater than (2): All items in this area must exceed 2. The answer is 4-1, positioned horizontally.
– Equal (1): Everything in this area must equal 2. The answer is 2-2, set vertically; 2-1, oriented horizontally.
– Less than (2): Items in this area must be under 2. The answer is 2-1, arranged horizontally.

Medium difficulty hints, solutions for Sept. 8 Pips

– Number (5): All items in this region must sum to 5. The answer is 5-4, arranged vertically.
– Equal (3): Everything in this part must equal 3. The answer is 5-3, aligned vertically; 2-3, placed vertically; 1-3, positioned vertically.
– Not Equal: All items in this area must be distinct. The answer is 5-3, stacked vertically; 5-6, placed vertically; 1-3, positioned vertically; 2-3, aligned vertically.

Hard difficulty hints, solutions for Sept. 8 Pips

– Number (0): Everything in this area must total 0. The answer is 0-0, arranged horizontally.
– Number (2): Everything in this area must total 2. The answer is 4-2, organized vertically.
– Number (1): Everything in this area must total 1. The answer is 3-1, aligned vertically.
– Number (4): All items in this area must add up to 4. The answer is 4-2, set vertically.
– Number (3): Every piece in this area must total 3. The answer is 3-1, organized vertically.
– Number (3): Everything in this region must total 3. The answer is 1-1, positioned horizontally; 1-2, arranged horizontally.
– Number (3): All components in this area must sum to 3. The answer is 1-2, placed horizontally; 1-4, positioned horizontally.
– Number (16): Everything in this space must total 16. The answer is 1-4, aligned horizontally; 4-3, positioned horizontally; 4-4, organized vertically.
– Equal (3): Everything in this area must be equivalent to 3. The answer is 4-3, set horizontally; 3-3, arranged vertically.
– Number (3): All pieces in this area must equal 3. The answer is 3-2, aligned horizontally.
– Equal (2): All pieces in this area must match 2. The answer is 3-2, set horizontally; 6-2, placed vertically; 2-5, arranged vertically; 2-2, organized vertically.
– Number (5): All pieces in this area must total 5. The answer is 5-2, set vertically.