Pips Answer for Friday, December 26, 2025
Complete NYT Pips puzzle solution with interactive board and expert analysis.
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Nyt Pips easy answer for 2025-12-26
Answer for 2025-12-26
I started the day with the Easy puzzle, which was built by Ian Livengood. Right away, I looked for the empty spots at (0,2) and (2,0). These are like freebies because they tell you exactly where the dominoes cannot go. I saw that the sum for (0,3) and (1,3) had to be 11.
Since the highest dominoes I had were [6,6] and [1,5], I knew the 6 and 5 had to be placed there. I slotted the [0,2] domino into the top left area to clear that empty (0,2) cell, and from there, the rest of the board just fell into place. The sum of 3 for (1,4) and (2,4) was easy once the 5 was used up nearby. Moving on to the
Nyt Pips medium answer for 2025-12-26
Answer for 2025-12-26
Medium puzzle by Rodolfo Kurchan, the difficulty definitely spiked. The 'unequal' region in the middle right was the real challenge. It covered five different cells, meaning I had to use five different numbers there.
I saved my [4,5] and [6,0] dominoes for that area to ensure I had enough variety. The 'equals' region at (1,2), (2,1), and (2,2) acted as a bridge, and once I figured out that those three had to be 2s, the whole left side of the board cleared up. Finally, I tackled the
Nyt Pips hard answer for 2025-12-26
Answer for 2025-12-26
Hard puzzle. This one was a real brain-burner because of that massive equality chain in column 1. Seven cells in a row all had to have the same number of pips! I looked at my dominoes and saw a lot of 1s and 3s.
I initially tried putting 3s in that chain, but it messed up the 'sum of 5' at the bottom. I switched to 1s, and suddenly the 'sum of 11' at the very top (0,0 to 0,2) became solvable using a 6 and a 4. The 2x2 'equals' block at the bottom right was the final piece of the puzzle. I had to be very careful not to use my 6s too early because I needed them for the 'greater than 11' and 'greater than 10' regions. Once I realized the [6,6] and [5,5] had to live on the far right edge, the middle of the board finally settled.
What I Learned
I learned that long equality chains are actually your best friend in the Hard puzzles, even though they look scary at first. They narrow down your choices so much that you can usually guess the number based on what's most common in your domino set. I also noticed a pattern where constructors like to place 'greater than' targets near the edges of the board to force you to use your high-value dominoes early.
A tricky move I found today was in the Medium puzzle; I had to realize that the 'empty' spots at (0,0) and (0,5) weren't just dead space—they were actually clues that forced the neighboring dominoes to be vertical. If I had tried to lay them horizontally, I would have run out of room immediately. It is all about spatial awareness and keeping an eye on which numbers you have 'spent' already.