Pips Answer for Saturday, January 10, 2026
Complete NYT Pips puzzle solution with interactive board and expert analysis.
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Expert Puzzle Analysis
Deep insights from puzzle experts
Nyt Pips easy answer for 2026-01-10
Answer for 2026-01-10
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.
Nyt Pips medium answer for 2026-01-10
Answer for 2026-01-10
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
Nyt Pips hard answer for 2026-01-10
Answer for 2026-01-10
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.
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.