Pips Answer for Sunday, December 28, 2025
Complete NYT Pips puzzle solution with interactive board and expert analysis.
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Nyt Pips easy answer for 2025-12-28
Answer for 2025-12-28
I jumped into the Easy puzzle first to get my brain moving. I immediately spotted the 'Sum 5' constraint at (3,0) and the 'Equals' constraint for (4,0) and (4,1). Since (4,0) and (4,1) are a single domino, they had to be a double.
Looking at my set, the [2,2] domino was the only double available, so that was an easy placement. From there, I saw that (4,2) needed a sum of 4, and since it was part of a domino with (3,2), I checked the [3,4] domino. Putting the 4 at (4,2) worked perfectly.
Nyt Pips medium answer for 2025-12-28
Answer for 2025-12-28
For the Medium puzzle, the 'Sum 0' at (2,0) was a total gift. It meant the 0 from the [2,0] domino had to be there, which instantly placed the 2 at (2,1).
I then focused on the 'Sum 8' region in the middle-right. That's a big sum for a few cells, so I looked for my high-value dominoes like [6,2]. The
Nyt Pips hard answer for 2025-12-28
Answer for 2025-12-28
Hard puzzle was a different story. I started by looking for the 'Sum 15' regions. With only three cells per region, you're usually looking for high numbers like 6, 5, and 4.
I found that the dominoes [6,5], [4,5], and [0,5] were key to satisfying those high sums. The 'Equals' region at the very bottom (6,0, 6,1, 7,0, 7,1) was the anchor for the whole grid. It required a double domino, and once I placed the [4,4] there, the rest of the bottom half started to fall into place. It's all about finding that one 'forced' move and following the ripple effect.
What I Learned
This set really taught me the value of looking for 'empty' regions early on. In the Hard puzzle, the empty spots at (3,1), (4,3), and (5,1) act as blockers that limit where you can place certain dominoes.
I also realized that 'Greater than' constraints are much more powerful than they look. For example, 'Greater than 4' at (0,2) narrowed down my choices to basically just 5 or 6, which helped me decide which end of a domino went where. A tricky move was in the Medium puzzle where the 'Unequal' region forced me to be very careful with the [1,1] double; I had to make sure it didn't clash with the surrounding sums or the 'Greater than 3' rule.