The New York Times, a venerable institution known for its journalistic prowess, has once again captivated puzzle enthusiasts with its latest digital offering: Pips. Launched in August 2025, this innovative game takes the classic mechanics of dominoes and infuses them with a fresh, single-player challenge that’s rapidly becoming a daily ritual for many. If you’re finding yourself stumped by today’s Pips grid, fear not – we’re here to provide the strategic nudges and solutions you need to conquer each difficulty level without resorting to the game’s full reveal.
What is Pips? A Fresh Take on Dominoes
At its core, Pips reimagines the familiar game of dominoes. Players arrange tiles vertically or horizontally, connecting them on a grid. However, Pips introduces a compelling twist: color-coded conditions. Unlike traditional dominoes where matching numbers are paramount, Pips demands adherence to specific rules dictated by the colored spaces on the board. This ingenious addition transforms a simple placement game into a sophisticated logic puzzle.
Mastering the Color-Coded Conditions
The key to excelling at Pips lies in understanding and applying the various color-coded conditions. A single domino tile can span multiple spaces, and its halves (pips) must satisfy the conditions of each space they occupy. Here’s a breakdown of the common conditions you’ll encounter:
- Number: All pips within this space must sum up to the specified number.
- Equal: Every domino half in this space must display the same number of pips.
- Not Equal: Each domino half within this space must have a unique, completely different number of pips.
- Less Than: The pips on every domino half in this space must add up to less than the given number.
- Greater Than: The pips on every domino half in this space must add up to more than the given number.
It’s important to note that if an area lacks any color coding, it signifies that there are no specific conditions imposed on the domino portions within those spaces, offering a moment of strategic flexibility.
Your Daily Pips Challenge: January 26, 2026 Hints & Answers
For those tackling the Pips challenge on January 26, 2026, we’ve compiled a comprehensive guide to help you navigate through each puzzle. Remember, these are piecemeal solutions designed to guide your thinking, not just hand you the answer. Use them wisely to sharpen your Pips skills!
Easy Difficulty Hints & Answers
- Less Than (3): Seek a tile where all pips in this space are less than 3. Solution: 2-5, placed horizontally.
- Less Than (2): Find a tile where all pips in this space are less than 2. Solution: 5-1, placed horizontally.
- Greater Than (4): Identify a tile where all pips in this space are greater than 4. Solution: 5-4, placed vertically.
- Greater Than (5): Look for a tile where all pips in this space are greater than 5. Solution: 5-6, placed horizontally.
- Greater Than (3): Locate a tile where all pips in this space are greater than 3. Solution: 5-4, placed vertically.
- Number (30): This space requires all pips to sum to 30. Solution: 2-5 (horizontal), 5-1 (horizontal), 5-5 (vertical), 5-6 (horizontal), 5-3 (horizontal).
Medium Difficulty Hints & Answers
- Equal (2): Place a tile where every domino half in this space equals 2. Solution: 2-2, placed horizontally.
- Less Than (4): Find a tile where every domino half in this space is less than 4. Solution: 0-2, placed vertically.
- Equal (0): Identify tiles where every domino half in this space equals 0. Solution: 0-6 (horizontal), 5-0 (horizontal).
- Number (10) (Purple): The pips in this purple space must add up to 10. Solution: 0-6 (horizontal), 4-4 (vertical).
- Equal (2): Place tiles where every domino half in this space equals 2. Solution: 0-2 (vertical), 2-6 (horizontal).
- Number (10) (Purple): All pips in this purple space must sum to 10. Solution: 4-4 (vertical), 2-6 (horizontal).
Hard Difficulty Hints & Answers
- Greater Than (4): Seek a tile where all pips in this space are greater than 4. Solution: 6-6, placed horizontally.
- Equal (6): Find tiles where every domino half in this space equals 6. Solution: 6-6 (horizontal), 6-1 (horizontal).
- Number (5) (Purple): The pips in this purple space must add up to 5. Solution: 6-1 (horizontal), 4-4 (vertical).
- Not Equal: Place tiles where every domino half in this space is different. Solution: 4-4 (vertical), 2-2 (horizontal), 3-3 (horizontal).
- Number (6) (Purple): All pips in this purple space must sum to 6. Solution: 2-2 (horizontal), 5-4 (horizontal).
- Number (9) (Purple): The pips in this purple space must add up to 9. Solution: 5-4 (horizontal), 1-4 (horizontal).
- Less Than (3): Find a tile where all pips in this space are less than 3. Solution: 1-4, placed horizontally.
- Number (9) (Purple): All pips in this purple space must sum to 9. Solution: 3-3 (horizontal), 6-4 (horizontal).
- Number (4) (Purple): The pips in this purple space must add up to 4. Solution: 6-4 (horizontal), 0-1 (horizontal).
- Less Than (2): Seek a tile where all pips in this space are less than 2. Solution: 0-1, placed horizontally.
Whether you’re a seasoned puzzle solver or new to the world of NYT games, Pips offers a refreshing daily mental workout. Keep practicing, and these hints will help you master the art of the color-coded domino!
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