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NYT Pips answers — Saturday, October 3, 2026

Pips #412 · Edited by Ian Livengood · Easy by Ian Livengood · Medium by Rodolfo Kurchan · Hard by Rodolfo Kurchan

Grid Puzzles · Updated October 3, 2026, 07:02 UTC · About these pages

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

Also today: LinkedIn games answers — Zip, Pinpoint, Crossclimb, Mini Sudoku, Patches and Wend.

Easy Pips answer — October 3, 2026

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

The easy board runs 4 rows by 4 columns: 5 dominoes to place across 6 regions. The mix is 2 sum regions, 2 "all equal", 1 "less than", 1 "greater than". Another early foothold: at row 1, column 2 two cells must match. Keep in mind that at row 2, column 4 two cells must match. Rack check: 1 double, 1 blank half, 3 sixes.

Hints

Hint 1: where to start

The "<1" region at row 4, column 1 leaves almost no room: every cell must be 0.

Hint 2: first domino

First domino: 2–0, covering row 4, column 2 (2) and row 4, column 1 (0).

Hint 3: second domino

Second: 1–5 on row 1, column 2 and row 1, column 1. Check the other 3 against the regions they could still fill.

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; 8 must add up to 8; <1 must add up to less than 1; 6 must add up to 6.

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

Medium Pips answer — October 3, 2026

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

The medium board runs 4 rows by 5 columns: 7 dominoes to place across 9 regions. By rule type: 3 sum regions, 1 "all equal", 2 "less than", 1 "greater than", 1 free region. Besides the opening move in Hint 1, row 2, column 3 is a region of its own with target 6: that cell is a 6. Rack check: 1 double, 4 blank halves, 2 sixes.

Hints

Hint 1: where to start

A one-cell region at row 2, column 2 asks for 6, which fixes that cell outright. Find the domino with a 6 that fits there.

Hint 2: first domino

First domino: 5–6, covering row 3, column 2 (5) and row 2, column 2 (6).

Hint 3: second domino

Second: 6–3 on row 2, column 3 and row 1, column 3. Check the other 5 against the regions they could still fill.

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 less than 5; 6 must add up to 6; ≠ must all be different; >0 must add up to more than 0.

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

Hard Pips answer — October 3, 2026

5×7 board · 14 dominoes · 19 regions · by Rodolfo Kurchan

Hard is 19 regions on a 5×7 grid, filled by 14 dominoes. Rules on the board: 11 sum regions, 2 "all equal", 2 "greater than", 4 free regions. A one-cell region at row 1, column 3 asks for 0, which fixes that cell outright. Keep in mind that a one-cell region at row 4, column 5 asks for 5, which fixes that cell outright. The rack holds 2 doubles, 3 blank halves, 1 six.

Hints

Hint 1: where to start

The single cell at row 1, column 2 is marked 1, so it can only hold a 1. Only dominoes carrying a 1 can reach it.

Hint 2: first domino

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

Hint 3: second domino

Then put the 0–5 across row 3, column 5 and row 4, column 5; 12 dominoes to go.

Solution

Tap any cell to reveal its pips, or reveal the whole board. Region rules: >4 must add up to more than 4; 1 must add up to 1; 0 must add up to 0; 8 must add up to 8; >3 must add up to more than 3.

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