Grid Puzzles › Pips › NYT Pips answers

NYT Pips answers — Wednesday, August 26, 2026

Pips #374 · Edited by Ian Livengood · Easy by Ian Livengood · Medium by Ian Livengood · 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 — August 26, 2026

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

Easy today is a 4×5 board with 5 dominoes and 5 regions. Rules on the board: 2 sum regions, 2 "less than", 1 free region. The way in: the "<1" region at row 3, column 1 leaves almost no room: every cell must be 0.. After that, the "<2" region at row 4, column 3 leaves almost no room: only 0s and a single 1 can go here.. Rack check: 1 double, 1 blank half, 3 sixes.

Hints

Hint 1 — where to start

The "<1" region at row 3, column 1 leaves almost no room: every cell must be 0.

Hint 2 — first domino

Place the 6–0 domino with its 6 at row 3, column 2 and its 0 at row 3, column 1.

Hint 3 — second domino

Next, the 1–5 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: 5 must add up to 5; 28 must add up to 28; <1 must add up to less than 1; <2 must add up to less than 2.

5
28
<1
<2
Solution as text
  1. 6–0 — 6 at row 3, column 2, 0 at row 3, column 1
  2. 1–5 — 1 at row 4, column 3, 5 at row 3, column 3
  3. 6–6 — 6 at row 2, column 2, 6 at row 2, column 3
  4. 5–2 — 5 at row 3, column 4, 2 at row 2, column 4
  5. 3–4 — 3 at row 1, column 4, 4 at row 1, column 5

Medium Pips answer — August 26, 2026

4×5 board · 8 dominoes · 10 regions · by Ian Livengood

8 dominoes, 10 regions, a 4×5 grid — that's the medium puzzle for August 26, 2026. Rules on the board: 4 sum regions, 4 "all equal", 1 "greater than", 1 free region. Best foothold — the single cell at row 3, column 5 is marked 4, so it can only hold a 4. After that, the single cell at row 4, column 1 is marked 4, so it can only hold a 4. Rack check: 1 double, 4 sixes.

Hints

Hint 1 — where to start

The single cell at row 3, column 5 is marked 4, so it can only hold a 4. Find the domino with a 4 that fits there.

Hint 2 — first domino

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

Hint 3 — second domino

Next, the 4–3 goes at row 4, column 1 → row 4, 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; = must all be the same number; 11 must add up to 11; 4 must add up to 4; 2 must add up to 2.

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

Hard Pips answer — August 26, 2026

9×6 board · 16 dominoes · 14 regions · by Rodolfo Kurchan

Hard today is a 9×6 board with 16 dominoes and 14 regions. Rules on the board: 8 sum regions, 4 "all equal", 1 "less than", 1 "greater than". Best foothold — the single cell at row 1, column 2 is marked 6, so it can only hold a 6. After that, the single cell at row 5, column 6 is marked 0, so it can only hold a 0. Rack check: 5 doubles, 6 blank halves, 4 sixes.

Hints

Hint 1 — where to start

The single cell at row 1, column 2 is marked 6, so it can only hold a 6. Find the domino with a 6 that fits there.

Hint 2 — first domino

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

Hint 3 — second domino

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

Solution

Tap any cell to reveal its pips, or reveal the whole board. Region rules: 6 must add up to 6; 9 must add up to 9; >3 must add up to more than 3; 10 must add up to 10; = must all be the same number.

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

Want more than three a day?

Grid Puzzles has an unlimited Pips-style mode with easy, medium and hard boards, plus a daily puzzle with a permanent archive. Every board has exactly one solution.

Play unlimited PipsHow to play Pips

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.