Pips Answer for Sunday, January 25, 2026
Complete NYT Pips puzzle solution with interactive board and expert analysis.
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Nyt Pips easy answer for 2026-01-25
Answer for 2026-01-25
Solving the Pips set for January 25, 2026, felt like a great progression in logic. I started with Ian Livengood's Easy puzzle. The first thing I noticed was the 'Empty' region at [0,0], which I knew meant that cell had a value of 0.
Looking at the 'Sum 3' region nearby at [0,1] and [0,2], I realized I needed a 0 and a 3 or a 1 and a 2. By checking the available dominoes, specifically the [0,3], I was able to place it across [0,3] and [0,2], which gave me the 3 I needed for that sum. From there, the rest of the 4x4 grid fell into place as the 'Equals' constraints forced my hand. Moving on to the
Nyt Pips medium answer for 2026-01-25
Answer for 2026-01-25
Medium puzzle by Rodolfo Kurchan, the 'Greater than 4' constraint at [0,3] was my jumping-off point. I looked at the [3,6] and [0,4] dominoes.
The sum constraints of 6 at [0,2] and [1,2] were the real filters. I had to juggle the [2,3] and [3,3] dominoes to make sure the math added up.
Nyt Pips hard answer for 2026-01-25
Answer for 2026-01-25
Finally, the Hard puzzle was a classic Rodolfo equality challenge. It was dominated by 'Equals' regions, some stretching across four or five cells. I spent a lot of time tracing the long equality chain from [0,0] to [1,3].
The key was identifying that the empty cells at [1,0], [1,4], and [4,0] act as zeroes. This allowed me to anchor the equality chains. I used the double dominoes like [5,5] and [6,6] sparingly because they are usually the only way to satisfy those long rows of the same number. It took some trial and error with the [5,4] and [3,5] dominoes, but once the middle section was locked, the corners cleared up quickly.
What I Learned
Today really reinforced the importance of 'zero' management. In Pips, the empty cells are not just blank space; they are a numerical value of 0 that often balances out the higher sum requirements in neighboring regions.
I also learned a tricky pattern in the Hard puzzle: when you have an 'Equals' region that is longer than two cells, it almost always requires you to use a double domino or carefully place two dominoes so their touching pips match that region's value. Rodolfo's puzzles often use those empty spots as 'gates' to separate high-value equality chains from each other.