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NYT Pips answers — Saturday, January 31, 2026

Pips #167 · Edited by Ian Livengood · Easy by Ian Livengood · Medium by Rodolfo Kurchan · Hard by Rodolfo Kurchan

Stuck on today's New York Times Pips? Below are three progressive hints for each difficulty, then the full solution as a tap-to-reveal board. Hints first — the answer only when you want it.

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Easy Pips answer — January 31, 2026

5×7 board · 7 dominoes · 12 regions · by Ian Livengood

7 dominoes, 12 regions, a 5×7 grid — that's the easy puzzle for January 31, 2026. The mix is 8 sum regions, 2 "less than", 1 "greater than", 1 free region. Best foothold — the single cell at row 1, column 4 is marked 2, so it can only hold a 2. After that, the single cell at row 2, column 4 is marked 0, so it can only hold a 0. Rack check: 1 double, 8 blank halves, 1 six.

Hints

Hint 1 — where to start

The single cell at row 1, column 4 is marked 2, so it can only hold a 2. Find the domino with a 2 that fits there.

Hint 2 — first domino

Place the 0–2 domino with its 0 at row 2, column 4 and its 2 at row 1, column 4.

Hint 3 — second domino

Next, the 0–4 goes at row 3, column 3 → row 2, column 3. From there the rest should fall into place.

Solution

Tap any cell to reveal its pips, or reveal the whole board. Region rules: 2 must add up to 2; <5 must add up to less than 5; 0 must add up to 0; <4 must add up to less than 4; 1 must add up to 1.

2
<5
0
<4
0
0
1
0
0
>5
0
Solution as text
  1. 0–6 — 0 at row 5, column 7, 6 at row 4, column 7
  2. 0–5 — 0 at row 4, column 2, 5 at row 3, column 2
  3. 0–4 — 0 at row 3, column 3, 4 at row 2, column 3
  4. 0–3 — 0 at row 3, column 5, 3 at row 2, column 5
  5. 0–2 — 0 at row 2, column 4, 2 at row 1, column 4
  6. 0–1 — 0 at row 4, column 6, 1 at row 3, column 6
  7. 0–0 — 0 at row 4, column 1, 0 at row 5, column 1

Medium Pips answer — January 31, 2026

5×4 board · 7 dominoes · 8 regions · by Rodolfo Kurchan

7 dominoes, 8 regions, a 5×4 grid — that's the medium puzzle for January 31, 2026. The mix is 4 sum regions, 1 "all equal", 2 "greater than", 1 free region. Best foothold — the "=" region starting at row 3, column 1 has 3 cells that must all match — every 5 in the puzzle should come here.. After that, the pair at row 1, column 2 adds to 4; list the ways to make 4 with the rack you have.. Rack check: 1 double, 3 sixes.

Hints

Hint 1 — where to start

The "=" region starting at row 3, column 1 has 3 cells that must all match — every 5 in the puzzle should come here.

Hint 2 — first domino

Place the 5–6 domino with its 5 at row 3, column 1 and its 6 at row 2, column 1.

Hint 3 — second domino

Next, the 2–3 goes at row 1, column 3 → row 1, column 2. From there the rest should fall into place.

Solution

Tap any cell to reveal its pips, or reveal the whole board. Region rules: 4 must add up to 4; >3 must add up to more than 3; 10 must add up to 10; = must all be the same number; 7 must add up to 7.

4
4
>3
10
=
7
>2
Solution as text
  1. 2–3 — 2 at row 1, column 3, 3 at row 1, column 2
  2. 4–6 — 4 at row 3, column 3, 6 at row 3, column 4
  3. 3–1 — 3 at row 3, column 2, 1 at row 2, column 2
  4. 5–6 — 5 at row 3, column 1, 6 at row 2, column 1
  5. 2–4 — 2 at row 1, column 4, 4 at row 2, column 4
  6. 5–5 — 5 at row 4, column 1, 5 at row 4, column 2
  7. 6–1 — 6 at row 5, column 2, 1 at row 5, column 1

Hard Pips answer — January 31, 2026

7×7 board · 12 dominoes · 11 regions · by Rodolfo Kurchan

The hard board runs 7 rows by 7 columns: 12 dominoes to place across 11 regions. The mix is 2 sum regions, 3 "all equal", 3 "greater than", 3 free regions. The single cell at row 5, column 1 is marked 3, so it can only hold a 3. After that, the "=" region starting at row 2, column 5 has 4 cells that must all match — every 3 in the puzzle should come here.. Rack check: 3 doubles, 2 blank halves, 4 sixes.

Hints

Hint 1 — where to start

The single cell at row 5, column 1 is marked 3, so it can only hold a 3. Find the domino with a 3 that fits there.

Hint 2 — first domino

Place the 3–6 domino with its 3 at row 5, column 1 and its 6 at row 5, column 2.

Hint 3 — second domino

Next, the 3–5 goes at row 2, column 5 → row 1, column 5. From there the rest should fall into place.

Solution

Tap any cell to reveal its pips, or reveal the whole board. Region rules: 12 must add up to 12; >4 must add up to more than 4; = must all be the same number; >0 must add up to more than 0; 3 must add up to 3.

12
>4
=
=
>0
3
=
>1
Solution as text
  1. 5–1 — 5 at row 5, column 5, 1 at row 4, column 5
  2. 3–3 — 3 at row 3, column 4, 3 at row 3, column 5
  3. 5–2 — 5 at row 5, column 6, 2 at row 5, column 7
  4. 4–4 — 4 at row 1, column 3, 4 at row 2, column 3
  5. 6–0 — 6 at row 4, column 3, 0 at row 3, column 3
  6. 6–5 — 6 at row 5, column 3, 5 at row 5, column 4
  7. 3–4 — 3 at row 3, column 6, 4 at row 3, column 7
  8. 2–6 — 2 at row 7, column 3, 6 at row 6, column 3
  9. 3–5 — 3 at row 2, column 5, 5 at row 1, column 5
  10. 2–2 — 2 at row 3, column 1, 2 at row 3, column 2
  11. 3–6 — 3 at row 5, column 1, 6 at row 5, column 2
  12. 0–5 — 0 at row 7, column 5, 5 at row 6, column 5

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