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NYT Pips answers — Friday, June 26, 2026

Pips #313 · 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 — June 26, 2026

5×5 board · 6 dominoes · 8 regions · by Ian Livengood

Easy today is a 5×5 board with 6 dominoes and 8 regions. Rules on the board: 3 sum regions, 3 "all equal", 2 "less than". Best foothold — the single cell at row 2, column 5 is marked 5, so it can only hold a 5. After that, the single cell at row 3, column 1 is marked 4, so it can only hold a 4. Rack check: 1 double, 5 blank halves, 2 sixes.

Hints

Hint 1 — where to start

The single cell at row 2, column 5 is marked 5, so it can only hold a 5. Find the domino with a 5 that fits there.

Hint 2 — first domino

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

Hint 3 — second domino

Next, the 4–0 goes at row 3, column 1 → row 3, 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: <2 must add up to less than 2; = must all be the same number; 5 must add up to 5; 4 must add up to 4.

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

Medium Pips answer — June 26, 2026

4×5 board · 7 dominoes · 9 regions · by Rodolfo Kurchan

Medium today is a 4×5 board with 7 dominoes and 9 regions. Rules on the board: 4 sum regions, 2 "all equal", 1 "less than", 2 "greater than". Best foothold — the single cell at row 4, column 1 is marked 0, so it can only hold a 0. After that, the "=" pair at row 3, column 2 needs two identical pips — a double, or matching halves from two dominoes.. Rack check: 1 double, 2 blank halves, 3 sixes.

Hints

Hint 1 — where to start

The single cell at row 4, column 1 is marked 0, so it can only hold a 0. Find the domino with a 0 that fits there.

Hint 2 — first domino

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

Hint 3 — second domino

Next, the 2–1 goes at row 3, column 2 → row 2, 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 more than 4; 10 must add up to 10; >0 must add up to more than 0; = must all be the same number; <3 must add up to less than 3.

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

Hard Pips answer — June 26, 2026

8×8 board · 16 dominoes · 22 regions · by Rodolfo Kurchan

The hard board runs 8 rows by 8 columns: 16 dominoes to place across 22 regions. The mix is 10 sum regions, 1 "all equal", 4 "less than", 7 "greater than". Best foothold — the single cell at row 1, column 7 is marked 1, so it can only hold a 1. After that, the single cell at row 4, column 3 is marked 0, so it can only hold a 0. Rack check: 4 doubles, 7 blank halves, 4 sixes.

Hints

Hint 1 — where to start

The single cell at row 1, column 7 is marked 1, so it can only hold a 1. Find the domino with a 1 that fits there.

Hint 2 — first domino

Place the 1–1 domino with its 1 at row 1, column 7 and its 1 at row 2, column 7.

Hint 3 — second domino

Next, the 0–1 goes at row 4, column 3 → row 3, 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: >1 must add up to more than 1; 7 must add up to 7; 15 must add up to 15; 1 must add up to 1; >2 must add up to more than 2.

>1
7
15
1
>2
13
>3
>4
0
0
<2
>2
4
=
<3
2
7
<4
<5
>4
1
>3
Solution as text
  1. 1–1 — 1 at row 1, column 7, 1 at row 2, column 7
  2. 4–6 — 4 at row 3, column 1, 6 at row 4, column 1
  3. 0–0 — 0 at row 5, column 8, 0 at row 6, column 8
  4. 2–3 — 2 at row 1, column 1, 3 at row 2, column 1
  5. 0–1 — 0 at row 4, column 3, 1 at row 3, column 3
  6. 5–2 — 5 at row 8, column 4, 2 at row 7, column 4
  7. 0–3 — 0 at row 6, column 4, 3 at row 5, column 4
  8. 5–4 — 5 at row 1, column 5, 4 at row 2, column 5
  9. 2–0 — 2 at row 6, column 2, 0 at row 5, column 2
  10. 4–1 — 4 at row 7, column 6, 1 at row 8, column 6
  11. 6–6 — 6 at row 3, column 7, 6 at row 4, column 7
  12. 4–3 — 4 at row 5, column 6, 3 at row 6, column 6
  13. 0–6 — 0 at row 4, column 5, 6 at row 3, column 5
  14. 2–2 — 2 at row 7, column 2, 2 at row 8, column 2
  15. 5–1 — 5 at row 1, column 3, 1 at row 2, column 3
  16. 0–4 — 0 at row 7, column 8, 4 at row 8, column 8

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Pips is a game by The New York Times. This page is an independent solving guide and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by The New York Times Company. Puzzle layouts are described here for the purpose of commentary and help.