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NYT Pips answers — Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Pips #199 · 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.

Jump to: Easy · Medium · Hard

Easy Pips answer — March 4, 2026

5×4 board · 5 dominoes · 6 regions · by Ian Livengood

The easy board runs 5 rows by 4 columns: 5 dominoes to place across 6 regions. Rules on the board: 4 "all equal", 1 "greater than", 1 free region. The way in: the single cell marked ">5" at row 3, column 4 must be a 6.. After that, the "=" pair at row 1, column 2 needs two identical pips — a double, or matching halves from two dominoes.. Rack check: 1 double, 2 blank halves, 1 six.

Hints

Hint 1 — where to start

The single cell marked ">5" at row 3, column 4 must be a 6.

Hint 2 — first domino

Place the 6–5 domino with its 6 at row 3, column 4 and its 5 at row 4, column 4.

Hint 3 — second domino

Next, the 5–5 goes at row 1, column 2 → row 1, 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: = must all be the same number; >5 must add up to more than 5.

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

Medium Pips answer — March 4, 2026

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

7 dominoes, 8 regions, a 5×5 grid — that's the medium puzzle for March 4, 2026. Rules on the board: 4 sum regions, 2 "all equal", 1 "greater than", 1 free region. Best foothold — the "=" pair at row 1, column 1 needs two identical pips — a double, or matching halves from two dominoes.. After that, the "=" pair at row 4, column 4 needs two identical pips — a double, or matching halves from two dominoes.. Rack check: 3 doubles, 2 blank halves.

Hints

Hint 1 — where to start

The "=" pair at row 1, column 1 needs two identical pips — a double, or matching halves from two dominoes.

Hint 2 — first domino

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

Hint 3 — second domino

Next, the 0–2 goes at row 4, column 4 → row 4, 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: = must all be the same number; 7 must add up to 7; >0 must add up to more than 0; 8 must add up to 8.

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

Hard Pips answer — March 4, 2026

9×9 board · 14 dominoes · 13 regions · by Rodolfo Kurchan

The hard board runs 9 rows by 9 columns: 14 dominoes to place across 13 regions. You're working with 6 sum regions, 2 "all equal", 1 "less than", 1 "greater than", 3 free regions. The way in: the two-cell region at row 4, column 4 adds to 12: both cells must be 6. After that, the "=" region starting at row 2, column 7 has 5 cells that must all match — every 0 in the puzzle should come here.. Rack check: 2 doubles, 5 blank halves, 4 sixes.

Hints

Hint 1 — where to start

The two-cell region at row 4, column 4 adds to 12: both cells must be 6. That's the 6–6 domino, or two 6s from different dominoes.

Hint 2 — first domino

Place the 1–6 domino with its 1 at row 4, column 3 and its 6 at row 4, column 4.

Hint 3 — second domino

Next, the 5–0 goes at row 2, column 6 → row 2, column 7. From there the rest should fall into place.

Solution

Tap any cell to reveal its pips, or reveal the whole board. Region rules: 10 must add up to 10; = must all be the same number; <5 must add up to less than 5; 3 must add up to 3; 12 must add up to 12.

10
=
<5
10
3
12
>2
2
=
10
Solution as text
  1. 0–1 — 0 at row 4, column 7, 1 at row 5, column 7
  2. 1–5 — 1 at row 3, column 3, 5 at row 3, column 2
  3. 2–2 — 2 at row 6, column 5, 2 at row 6, column 6
  4. 2–5 — 2 at row 4, column 1, 5 at row 3, column 1
  5. 0–4 — 0 at row 2, column 8, 4 at row 2, column 9
  6. 2–6 — 2 at row 6, column 4, 6 at row 5, column 4
  7. 0–0 — 0 at row 3, column 7, 0 at row 3, column 8
  8. 6–4 — 6 at row 1, column 7, 4 at row 1, column 8
  9. 5–0 — 5 at row 2, column 6, 0 at row 2, column 7
  10. 3–6 — 3 at row 9, column 5, 6 at row 9, column 4
  11. 1–2 — 1 at row 5, column 3, 2 at row 6, column 3
  12. 2–4 — 2 at row 7, column 4, 4 at row 8, column 4
  13. 1–6 — 1 at row 4, column 3, 6 at row 4, column 4
  14. 3–1 — 3 at row 5, column 5, 1 at row 5, column 6

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