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NYT Pips answers — Monday, September 14, 2026

Pips #393 · 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.

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Easy Pips answer — September 14, 2026

3×4 board · 5 dominoes · 5 regions · by Ian Livengood

5 dominoes, 5 regions, a 3×4 grid — that's the easy puzzle for September 14, 2026. Rules on the board: 2 "all equal", 1 "greater than", 2 free regions. Best foothold — the "=" region starting at row 1, column 2 has 5 cells that must all match — every 6 in the puzzle should come here.. After that, the "=" pair at row 1, column 1 needs two identical pips — a double, or matching halves from two dominoes.. Rack check: 1 double, 5 sixes.

Hints

Hint 1 — where to start

The "=" region starting at row 1, column 2 has 5 cells that must all match — every 6 in the puzzle should come here.

Hint 2 — first domino

Place the 6–4 domino with its 6 at row 1, column 2 and its 4 at row 1, column 1.

Hint 3 — second domino

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

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

Medium Pips answer — September 14, 2026

6×4 board · 7 dominoes · 8 regions · by Ian Livengood

Medium today is a 6×4 board with 7 dominoes and 8 regions. Rules on the board: 6 sum regions, 1 "less than", 1 free region. Best foothold — the single cell at row 4, column 1 is marked 2, so it can only hold a 2. After that, the single cell at row 5, column 3 is marked 2, so it can only hold a 2. Rack check: 2 doubles, 3 blank halves, 1 six.

Hints

Hint 1 — where to start

The single cell at row 4, column 1 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 2–1 domino with its 2 at row 4, column 1 and its 1 at row 3, column 1.

Hint 3 — second domino

Next, the 4–2 goes at row 4, column 3 → row 5, 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: 6 must add up to 6; 5 must add up to 5; 7 must add up to 7; <2 must add up to less than 2; 2 must add up to 2.

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

Hard Pips answer — September 14, 2026

7×9 board · 15 dominoes · 16 regions · by Rodolfo Kurchan

15 dominoes, 16 regions, a 7×9 grid — that's the hard puzzle for September 14, 2026. You're working with 10 sum regions, 5 "all equal", 1 "greater than". The single cell at row 1, column 3 is marked 3, so it can only hold a 3. After that, the single cell at row 3, column 1 is marked 1, so it can only hold a 1. Rack check: 1 double, 5 blank halves, 2 sixes.

Hints

Hint 1 — where to start

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

Hint 3 — second domino

Next, the 3–1 goes at row 4, column 1 → row 3, 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: 3 must add up to 3; = must all be the same number; 15 must add up to 15; 1 must add up to 1; 5 must add up to 5.

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

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