Home Archive 2026-01-10

Pips Answer for Saturday, January 10, 2026

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

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Solution & Analysis

Complete answers and solving insights for 2026-01-10

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NYT Pips easy answer for 2026-01-10

Complete answer for 2026-01-10 (Easy)

I started with the Easy puzzle by Ian Livengood. I immediately looked for the most restricted spots. The first thing that caught my eye was the single cell region at (0,0) with a sum target of 6. Since it is only one cell, it had to be a 6.

Then I looked at the 'greater than 1' rule at (0,1). Combined with the dominoes list, I started mapping out the pairs. The 'equals' region spanning (0,2), (0,3), and (1,3) was the next anchor. I checked which dominoes could split across those cells to keep the values the same.

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NYT Pips medium answer for 2026-01-10

Complete answer for 2026-01-10 (Medium)

For the Medium puzzle by Rodolfo Kurchan, the empty cells at (0,0), (0,1), and (3,0) were huge hints because they told me exactly where NOT to put certain values. I focused on the sum of 7 at the top right and the 'greater than 9' constraint at the bottom left.

To get a sum over 9 with two cells, you usually need high numbers like 4, 5, or 6. I narrowed down the dominoes [6,4] or [5,5] for those spots. The

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NYT Pips hard answer for 2026-01-10

>10

Complete answer for 2026-01-10 (Hard)

Hard puzzle was a whole different beast with 16 dominoes. I didn't panic; I just looked for the tiny sums first. A sum of 1 or 2 is much easier to solve than a large sum because there are fewer combinations.

I found the sum of 1 at (1,1) and the sum of 2 at (3,2) and (3,4). These acted as my starting corner pieces. The 'equals' region at (1,4), (1,5), and (2,4) required some trial and error, but once I placed the dominoes [1,4] and [2,4] nearby, the rest of the board started to fall into place like a series of falling bricks. I kept a close eye on the domino list to make sure I wasn't using the same pair twice, which is a common mistake I make when I am rushing.

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What I Learned

This set of puzzles taught me that Rodolfo Kurchan loves to use 'greater than' and 'less than' constraints to force you into using specific high or low value dominoes. I noticed a pattern where the 'equals' regions often act as bridges between two different dominoes, requiring you to think about how pips are shared across the grid lines.

A tricky move I found in the Hard puzzle was at the bottom right; the sum of 1 across three cells (7,5), (7,6), and (8,6) meant most of those had to be zeros, which really narrowed down which dominoes could fit there. It is a reminder that the zeros are just as important as the sixes.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best way to start a Hard Pips puzzle?

Always look for the smallest or largest sum regions first. A sum of 1 or a sum of 12 (in two cells) has very few domino possibilities, which gives you a solid starting point to build from.

How do 'equals' regions work when they cover three cells?

In these cases, the pips in each of the three cells must be identical. This often means two different dominoes are meeting in that region, and they must both have the same pip value on those specific ends.

What should I do if I have two dominoes left but they don't fit the last spots?

This usually means a mistake was made earlier with a domino that had similar values (like a 2-3 vs a 3-2 in a different orientation). You should trace back to your last 'equals' or 'greater than' region and see if swapping a domino there fixes the chain reaction.

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