Pips Answer for Thursday, December 4, 2025
Complete NYT Pips puzzle solution with interactive board and expert analysis.
Click a domino below or a cell on the board to reveal
Expert Puzzle Analysis
Deep insights from puzzle experts
Nyt Pips easy answer for 2025-12-04
Answer for 2025-12-04
Solving the Pips puzzles for December 4th felt like a great morning workout for my brain. I started with the Easy level, where my eyes immediately went to the sum target of 12 for the region containing (1,2) and (2,2). Since the dominoes provided were [5,3], [4,4], [0,0], [1,5], and [6,6], the only way to hit 12 was using the [6,6] domino.
Once that was locked in vertically, I looked at the single cell sum of 1 at (0,0). That forced the [1,5] domino to be placed at [[0,0],[0,1]], putting the 1 at (0,0). Because (0,1) and (1,1) had to be equal, (1,1) became 5. This left the remaining pieces to fall into place for the sum of 11 in the first column.
Nyt Pips medium answer for 2025-12-04
Answer for 2025-12-04
For the Medium puzzle, things got a bit more interesting with the empty cells and multiple target sums of 5. I spotted the single cell target of 6 at (1,0) right away. Looking at my dominoes, the only ones with a 6 were [3,6] and [6,5]. I noticed a long 'equals' region for cells (1,3), (2,3), (3,3), and (4,3). This meant all four cells needed the same number.
I cross-referenced this with the sum targets of 5 at (2,4) and (2,5). By testing the [0,3] and [3,2] dominoes, I realized the equal value had to be 0 or 3. I eventually found that 0 fit perfectly, allowing the [5,0] and [0,0] dominoes to anchor that section. The Greater Than 3 clue at (4,2) was the final piece of the puzzle to confirm my layout. The
Nyt Pips hard answer for 2025-12-04
Answer for 2025-12-04
Hard puzzle by Rodolfo Kurchan was a real masterpiece of constraints. I always look for zeros first in Hard mode. The regions (2,5) and the sum of (3,2) and (4,2) both needing to be 0 meant I had to burn my [0,0] and [0,5] or [0,4] dominoes carefully. I placed the [0,0] at [[3,2],[4,2]] because they were in a sum region together.
Then I tackled the 'equals' columns at column 6 and column 1. Column 6 needed three identical numbers, and Column 1 needed three identical numbers. By observing the [1,1], [3,3], and [4,4] dominoes, I realized these 'doubles' were the keys to satisfying those equality constraints. The 'unequal' region was the trickiest part, requiring me to keep a mental tally of which numbers I had already used in that cluster to ensure no repeats. It took some back-and-forth shifting, but once the [4,6] and [5,3] dominoes were placed to satisfy the sum of 11 at (4,3) and (5,3), the rest of the board cleared up.
What I Learned
Today's puzzles really highlighted how powerful 'Equals' regions are when they span across multiple dominoes. In the Hard puzzle, having two separate sets of triple-equals cells essentially forced the use of double-number dominoes or very specific placement of pairs.
I also learned a neat trick on the Medium puzzle: when you have multiple regions with the same sum target (like all those 5s), it usually implies a rotation of similar dominoes or a shared common number. The most 'aha' moment was realizing that the 'Unequal' region in the Hard puzzle isn't just a list of numbers you can't use; it's a logic gate that prevents you from placing doubles in a way that would repeat a digit within that specific shape.