Pips Answer for Sunday, February 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 2026-02-01
Answer for 2026-02-01
I started by looking at the Easy puzzle, which is usually a good warm-up. I noticed right away that one region had a sum target of 0, which is a huge giveaway because it means those cells have to be empty or zero.
I used that as my anchor and looked at the 'equals' constraints nearby to see which dominoes from the list like [3,3] or [4,0] could fit. Once the small grid was filled, I moved to the
Nyt Pips medium answer for 2026-02-01
Answer for 2026-02-01
Medium puzzle. Here, the 'empty' cells were my best friends.
By marking those off first, I could see where the bigger dominoes like [6,6] and [5,5] couldn't possibly go. I had a bit of a snag with the 'unequal' region, but I just compared the remaining pips and realized only one combination wouldn't repeat any numbers. Finally, I tackled the
Nyt Pips hard answer for 2026-02-01
Answer for 2026-02-01
Hard puzzle. This one was a beast because of all the 'less than' targets. I had to be really careful not to use up my high-value dominoes like the double sixes too early.
I looked for regions with very low targets, like the one that had to be less than 3, and used that to place my [0,0] and [0,1] dominoes. From there, it was just a matter of fitting the remaining pieces like a jigsaw puzzle, making sure the sums didn't go over the limits. I had to backtrack once when I realized I used the [5,5] in a spot that made a later sum too high, but once I swapped it with a smaller pair, everything clicked into place.
What I Learned
This set really taught me the value of looking for the most restrictive rules first. In the Hard puzzle, the empty cells and the very small sum targets act like the corners of a regular puzzle. If you solve those first, the rest of the board starts to reveal itself.
I also noticed a neat pattern where the editor likes to hide high-value dominoes right next to low-value regions to trick you into thinking they don't fit there. Another thing I learned is to always double-check the 'equals' regions because they are the easiest way to narrow down your domino list quickly. If you have a [6,6] and a [1,1] left, and an 'equals' region needs filling, you know exactly which one to try first based on the surrounding numbers.