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Home Archive 2025-09-28

Pips Answer for Sunday, September 28, 2025

Complete NYT Pips puzzle solution with interactive board and expert analysis.

Today's Answer Back to Archive
Progress 0/4 dominoes
>4
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=
<2

Click a domino or a cell to reveal the answer

Solution & Analysis

Complete answers and solving insights for 2025-09-28

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NYT Pips easy answer for 2025-09-28

NYT Pips easy answer for 2025-09-28

>4
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<2

Complete answer for 2025-09-28 (Easy)

Solving the Pips puzzles for September 28 was an absolute blast, especially with the variety in the designs by Rodolfo Kurchan and Heidi Erwin. I always start with the Easy puzzle to get my brain in gear.

I noticed right away that the cell at [0,1] had to be greater than 4. Looking at my four dominoes, only the [4,5] tile had a 5, so I knew that had to go there. That one move usually sets off a chain reaction.

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NYT Pips medium answer for 2025-09-28

NYT Pips medium answer for 2025-09-28

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2
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0
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Complete answer for 2025-09-28 (Medium)

For the Medium puzzle, the big clue was the massive region of six cells that all had to be equal. That is a huge constraint!

I spent a few minutes looking at my pips and realized I had to balance the higher numbers elsewhere to make that work. I focused on the sum of 2 and sum of 0 regions first because they are so restrictive. Now, the

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NYT Pips hard answer for 2025-09-28

NYT Pips hard answer for 2025-09-28

5
10
10
0
>4
10
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9
0
>1

Complete answer for 2025-09-28 (Hard)

Hard puzzle was the real test. Heidi Erwin really knows how to lay traps. I saw those 'sum to 0' and 'sum to 10' regions and went straight for them. A sum of 0 is a gift because it means every single cell in that group has to be a zero (or a blank pip).

I mapped out all my dominoes that had zeros—like the [6,0], [0,5], [0,0], and so on—and placed them like a skeleton for the rest of the board. The 'greater than' constraint at the bottom was my final check. It's all about finding those 'anchors' that can only be one thing and building out from there. If you place the 0-pips correctly, the high-value tiles like the [6,6] almost place themselves because there are so few spots left where they can fit without breaking a sum constraint.

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What I Learned

The biggest takeaway from today's set was how powerful the 'zero' or empty pips are. In the Hard puzzle, having a five-cell region that sums to 0 is basically the game telling you exactly where the blanks go. I also learned a neat trick on the Medium board: when you have multiple 'equals' regions that are separate, you have to be careful not to use up all your matching pairs too early.

It’s easy to get stuck at the end with a [5,4] tile when you desperately need two of the same number. I also noticed that the 'empty' cells are your best friends for narrowing down where a domino can physically turn. They act like walls, and once you see the walls, the paths for the dominoes become much clearer.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What should I do first when I open a new Pips puzzle?
Always look for the most restrictive rules. Things like 'Sum = 0' or 'Greater than 5' are great because they limit your options to just one or two dominoes. Once those are in place, the rest of the board starts to fill itself in.
How do empty cells work in these puzzles?
Empty cells are basically cells that don't belong to any domino. They count as zero pips for sum calculations. Think of them as obstacles that help you figure out the orientation of the dominoes around them.
I keep ending up with one domino that doesn't fit the last spot. Why?
This usually means you used a tile earlier that could have gone in two different directions. In Pips, the 'math' might work out in one spot, but the physical shape of the domino might be needed elsewhere. Try backtracking to a spot where you had two choices and try the other one.
Are the 'equals' regions always the same number?
Within a single shaded 'equals' region, every cell must have the same number of pips. However, if there are two different 'equals' regions on the board, they don't necessarily have to be the same number as each other.

How to Use This Board

1

Select a Domino

Tap any domino from the tray below the board to select it

2

Place on Board

Tap a cell on the board where you think it belongs. If correct, both cells reveal!

3

Rotate if Needed

Tap a selected domino again to rotate it, or use the rotate button

4

Use Hints

Stuck? Use the Hint button to reveal one domino, or Solve All to see everything