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NYT Pips answers — Monday, August 31, 2026

Pips #379 · 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 — August 31, 2026

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

5 dominoes, 5 regions, a 4×4 grid — that's the easy puzzle for August 31, 2026. You're working with 3 "all equal", 2 "less than". The way in: the "=" region starting at row 3, column 2 has 4 cells that must all match — every 4 in the puzzle should come here.. 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 sixes.

Hints

Hint 1 — where to start

The "=" region starting at row 3, column 2 has 4 cells that must all match — every 4 in the puzzle should come here.

Hint 2 — first domino

Place the 4–4 domino with its 4 at row 3, column 2 and its 4 at row 3, column 3.

Hint 3 — second domino

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

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

Medium Pips answer — August 31, 2026

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

The medium board runs 5 rows by 5 columns: 7 dominoes to place across 8 regions. The mix is 2 sum regions, 3 "all equal", 1 "less than", 2 "greater than". The "=" pair at row 1, column 2 needs two identical pips — a double, or matching halves from two dominoes.. After that, the "=" pair at row 2, column 2 needs two identical pips — a double, or matching halves from two dominoes.. Rack check: 2 doubles, 1 blank half, 1 six.

Hints

Hint 1 — where to start

The "=" pair at row 1, column 2 needs two identical pips — a double, or matching halves from two dominoes.

Hint 2 — first domino

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

Hint 3 — second domino

Next, the 5–5 goes at row 4, column 2 → row 5, 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: = must all be the same number; >3 must add up to more than 3; 3 must add up to 3; >7 must add up to more than 7; 4 must add up to 4.

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

Hard Pips answer — August 31, 2026

5×7 board · 14 dominoes · 15 regions · by Rodolfo Kurchan

The hard board runs 5 rows by 7 columns: 14 dominoes to place across 15 regions. The mix is 10 sum regions, 4 "all equal", 1 free region. The single cell at row 1, column 2 is marked 2, so it can only hold a 2. After that, the single cell at row 2, column 1 is marked 0, so it can only hold a 0. Rack check: 5 doubles, 1 blank half, 5 sixes.

Hints

Hint 1 — where to start

The single cell at row 1, column 2 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 6–2 domino with its 6 at row 1, column 3 and its 2 at row 1, column 2.

Hint 3 — second domino

Next, the 3–0 goes at row 2, column 2 → row 2, column 1. 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; 10 must add up to 10; = must all be the same number; 0 must add up to 0; 12 must add up to 12.

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

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