NYT Pips Hints and Answers for Aug 20, 2025

NYT Pips launched in August 2025 as The New York Times' first truly original logic puzzle, developed internally by puzzle editor Ian Livengood and his team. The game reimagines dominoes as a puzzle-solving tool, blending mathematical constraints with the satisfying tactile experience of dragging and placing tiles.

Offering Easy, Medium, and Hard puzzles daily, Pips caters to quick coffee-break solvers and dedicated puzzle enthusiasts alike. The handcrafted approach ensures each puzzle has a unique personality—something algorithms simply can't replicate.

Easy Difficulty Pips Hints and Answers for Aug 20, 2025

Pips Hints

Sum to 0 means you need [0,0] dominoes in that region

Pips Answers

Medium Difficulty Pips Hints and Answers for Aug 20, 2025

Pips Hints

The equals regions spanning multiple cells create strong constraints

Pips Answers

Hard Difficulty Pips Hints and Answers for Aug 20, 2025

Pips Hints

Multiple equals regions help narrow down which dominoes can be placed where

Empty cells offer definite starting positions

Pips Answers

The Basics of Pips

Your mission: place all provided dominoes on the board while satisfying every colored region's condition.

Understanding the Puzzle

The game board features colored zones with rule symbols in their corners, alongside blank zones with no restrictions. You're given a specific set of dominoes for each puzzle.

Gameplay Controls

• Drag dominoes from your tray to desired board positions
• Tap any domino to rotate it between orientations
• Dominoes always cover two adjacent squares

Condition Types

Target Number (e.g., "9"): All pips in this region must sum to this exact value

Equality (=): All domino halves must display the same pip count

Inequality (≠): All domino halves must display different pip counts

Minimum Threshold (>): Each domino half must exceed this pip count

Maximum Threshold (<): Each domino half must stay below this pip count

Cross-Region Placement

When dominoes bridge two colored regions, each half independently follows its respective region's rule. This mechanic creates layered logical challenges where a single domino must satisfy two different constraints simultaneously.

Mastering Pips

Target Constrained Regions

Start with areas that have the most restrictive rules. Sum-specific regions and equality zones dramatically narrow your options, giving you clear logical footholds to begin solving.

Embrace Experimentation

Pips has no penalties or time limits. Use this freedom to try different placements, learn from the feedback, and refine your approach iteratively.

Optimize Zero-Pip Usage

Blank domino halves are strategic powerhouses. They're essential for satisfying "less than" conditions and achieving exact sums without exceeding targets—never underestimate their value.

Solve Border Challenges First

Dominoes that span region boundaries are typically the most complex pieces to place. Once you've correctly positioned these dual-constraint dominoes, the remaining placements usually become obvious.