Pips Answer for Thursday, April 9, 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
Easing Into My Morning Coffee
Nyt Pips easy answer for 2026-04-09
Answer for 2026-04-09
Solving the easy puzzle today was like a nice warm-up stretch for my brain. I started by looking at the bottom right corner where there was a sum constraint for cells 3,4, 4,4, and 5,4. The target was only 1, which is pretty tiny! Since I had dominoes like 0,0 and 1,5 to work with, I realized that the cells had to be mostly zeros to keep that sum so low. By placing the 0,0 domino across 3,4 and 4,4, and then using the 1 from the 1,5 domino in cell 5,4, the math worked out perfectly.
Next, I moved to the top left area. I had an equals constraint for cells 0,0 and 1,0. I also saw that cell 0,1 had to be less than 4. By fitting the 2,3 domino across 0,0 and 0,1 and the 2,4 domino at 1,0 and 2,0, I was able to satisfy the equals rule since both 0,0 and 1,0 became 2. It felt like the pieces just fell into place once I focused on those small sum targets first.
Finding My Groove With The Medium Grid
Nyt Pips medium answer for 2026-04-09
Answer for 2026-04-09
The medium puzzle today definitely turned up the heat a little bit. I spent a good minute staring at that sum of 10 requirement for cells 2,3 and 2,4. In a game like Pips, a 10 almost always means you are looking for two 5s. Luckily, we had a 5,5 domino in our pile, so I plopped that right in. That move really opened up the rest of the board for me.
After that, I tackled the triple equals region at 3,2, 3,3, and 4,2. This is a bit trickier because three cells have to match. I noticed that the dominoes 3,2 and 5,4 could be positioned to make this work if I used the 2s. I also had to keep an eye on the greater than 4 constraints at 1,0 and 4,1. Using the 6,2 and 5,6 dominoes helped satisfy those high-value spots. It was a bit of a jigsaw puzzle making sure the 5,4 domino didn't mess up my sum of 5 at the top, but once I aligned the 1,2 domino correctly, it all balanced out.
Tackling The Big One
Nyt Pips hard answer for 2026-04-09
Answer for 2026-04-09
Wow, the hard puzzle today really made me work for my win! There were so many greater than 3 constraints clustered at the bottom. I realized early on that I needed to save my high-value dominoes like 6,0 and 3,6 for that area. I started at the bottom edge, placing the 6,0 domino across 6,0 and 6,1 because both cells needed to be bigger than 3. That was a huge breakthrough.
Then I had to deal with a lot of sum of 3 regions. Since a sum of 3 can be 0 and 3 or 1 and 2, I had to be careful not to use up my 3s too fast. I used the 3,4 domino and the 4,4 domino near the middle-right to satisfy the sum constraints at 2,4 and 3,4. The most satisfying part was finally connecting the top left corner. I used the 1,0 domino to bridge cells 0,0 and 1,0 which satisfied an equals constraint, and everything else just spiraled out from there. It was a long path, but finishing it felt amazing.
Pro Tips for Today's Puzzle
When you are stuck, look for the very small or very large sum targets first because they have fewer number combinations.
Also, keep an eye on empty cells; they act as blockers that help you figure out which way a domino must be oriented. Lastly, if you see multiple equals constraints near each other, try to find a number that appears on several of your available dominoes.
What I Learned
Today I really learned the value of the greater than constraints.
They act like anchors that narrow down your choices so much more than the sum regions do. I also noticed that in the hard puzzle, the way the dominoes are forced to turn corners can often reveal the only possible spot for your doubles like the 4,4 or 5,5.