Welcome to the guide to Pips, the latest game in New York Times catalog.
Released in August 2025, Pips is a unique take on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.
Currently, if you get stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to go to the next difficulty level and start over. However, we’ve got your back! Below are the answers in parts that will serve as hints to help you pass each difficulty level.
How to play Pips
If you’ve ever played dominoes, you’re probably familiar with how pips are played. As we’ve covered in our previous Pips tips stories, tiles, like dominoes, are arranged vertically or horizontally and connect to each other. The main difference between the traditional game of dominoes and pips is the color-coded conditions that you need to take into account. Touching tiles do not have to match.
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The conditions you must meet are specific to color-coded spaces. For example, if a single number is specified, each side of a tile in that space must be that number. It’s possible (and this is common) that only half the tile is in the color-coded space.
Here are typical examples you’ll encounter at different difficulty levels:
Number: The sum of all points in this space must add up to a number.
Equal: Each half of the dominoes in this space must have the same number of points.
Not equal: Each half of the domino in this space should have a completely different number of points.
Less than: The sum of each domino half in this field must be less than the specified number.
More than: Each half of the dominoes in this space must total greater than the specified number.
If an area is not color coded, it means there are no conditions for the domino pieces inside those cells.
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Simple difficulty tips and answers to items for July 18th.
Equal to (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. Answer: 2-2, located horizontally.
More than (2): Everything in this space must be larger than 2. Answer: 3-5, arranged horizontally.
More than (4): Everything in this space must be larger than 4. Answer: 3-5, arranged horizontally.
Equals (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. Answer: 4-4, arranged vertically; 4-6, located horizontally.
More than (4): Everything in this space must be larger than 4. Answer: 4-6, arranged horizontally.
Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. Answer: 3-2, placed horizontally.
Hints of medium difficulty, answers for July 18 Pips
Not equal: Everything in this space should be different. Answer 2-1, located vertically.
Less than (4): Everything in this space must be less than 4. The answer is 1-1, located horizontally.
Number (10): Everything in this space should add up to 10. Answer: 5-5, stacked vertically.
Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. Answer: 6-4, arranged vertically; 2-2, located horizontally.
Equal to (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. Answer: 6-6, arranged horizontally.
Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. Answer: 1-1, placed horizontally; 3-3, located vertically.
Less than (6): Everything in this space must be smaller than 6. Answer: 6-4, stacked vertically.
Hints on difficulties and answers to points for July 18.
Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. Answer: 1-2, arranged horizontally.
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Number (2): Everything in this space should add up to 2. Answer: 1-2, arranged horizontally.
Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. Answer: 3-5, arranged horizontally.
Number (5): Everything in this space should add up to 5. Answer: 3-5, arranged horizontally.
Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. Answer: 1-4, arranged vertically.
Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. Answer: 5-1, placed horizontally.
Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. Answer: 5-1, placed horizontally.
Number (2): Everything in this space should add up to 2. Answer: 2-3, arranged vertically.
Number (4): Everything in this space should add up to 4. Answer: 1-4, arranged vertically.
Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. Answer: 4-3, arranged horizontally.
Number (3): Everything in this space should add up to 3. Answer: 4-3, arranged horizontally.
Number (3): Everything in this space should add up to 3. Answer: 2-3, arranged vertically.
Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. Answer: 5-2, placed vertically.
Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. Answer: 5-0, placed vertically.
Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. Answer: 3-0, placed vertically.
Number (3): Everything in this space should add up to 3. Answer: 1-3, arranged vertically.
Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. Answer: 5-2, placed vertically.
Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. Answer: 5-0, placed vertically.
Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. Answer: 3-0, placed vertically.
Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. Answer: 2-4, stacked vertically.
Number (1): Everything in that space must add up to 1. Answer: 1-0, stacked vertically.
Number (5): Everything in this space should add up to 5. Answer: 5-4, stacked vertically.
Number (4): Everything in this space should add up to 4. Answer: 2-4, arranged vertically.
Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 1-0, stacked vertically.
Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. Answer: 5-4, stacked vertically.
More (3): Everything in this space must be larger than 3. Answer: 3-6, arranged vertically.
Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. Answer: 4-0, placed horizontally.
Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. Answer: 4-0, placed horizontally.
Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. Answer: 2-0, placed horizontally.
Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. Answer: 2-0, placed horizontally.
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