Pips Answer for Thursday, January 1, 2026
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 2026-01-01
Answer for 2026-01-01
I kicked things off with the Easy puzzle, which was a nice warm-up by Ian Livengood. Right away, I noticed the sum region at (2,2) had to be 3, which is a huge hint. Since the dominoes available were [5,1], [0,3], [0,1], and [5,2], I looked at where that 3 could come from. The [0,3] domino was the only one with a 3, so I knew it had to sit there.
I also saw a 'less than 2' constraint at (2,1), which narrowed my choices down to 0 or 1. By cross-referencing the remaining dominoes, I realized the [5,2] and [5,1] needed to fit into the larger sum and equality areas. Once I placed the [0,1] across (1,0) and (1,1), the rest of the board just fell into place like a zipper closing up. Moving on to the
Nyt Pips medium answer for 2026-01-01
Answer for 2026-01-01
Medium puzzle by Rodolfo Kurchan, the strategy changed to focusing on the 'Sum 10' regions. In a game with pips up to 6, a sum of 10 usually means a 5 and a 5, or a 4 and a 6. I spotted the [5,5] domino and immediately tested it in the (1,0)/(2,0) or (3,2)/(3,3) spots.
It turned out the [5,5] belonged to (1,3) and (1,4) to satisfy one of those 10-sums. The 'empty' cells at (0,2) and (1,1) acted as blockers, helping me visualize where the dominoes couldn't go. The
Nyt Pips hard answer for 2026-01-01
Answer for 2026-01-01
Hard puzzle was a whole different beast. It had twelve dominoes and several 'equals' regions. In Pips, an 'equals' region means every cell in that group must have the exact same number of pips. I saw a huge 4-cell 'equals' region at (1,2), (2,0), (2,1), and (2,2).
Since those four cells had to be identical, I scanned my dominoes for pairs. I had [2,2], [2,1], [6,2], and [2,5]. This told me the number 2 was going to be very popular in that section of the grid. I spent most of my time on the Hard puzzle balancing the 'equals' regions against the small sum constraints at the bottom row (like the 1, 1, 2, and 6 sums). It was a bit of a jigsaw puzzle where I had to keep track of which half of the domino I was using for which constraint.
What I Learned
One thing that really clicked for me today was how 'empty' cells are actually your best friends in the harder puzzles. They aren't just blanks; they are fixed points that dictate the orientation of every domino around them. I also learned a tricky move on the Medium board: when you see multiple regions needing the same high sum (like 10), you have to look at your domino pool first to see how many 4s, 5s, and 6s you actually have.
You can't just guess; you have to count the available high-value pips. In the Hard puzzle, I realized that 'equals' regions that share a domino are extremely restrictive. For example, if a domino spans two different 'equals' regions, those two regions might actually end up needing to be the same value, or it forces a specific orientation that solves a different part of the board by proxy.