Pips NYT

Turn dominoes into a daily deduction ritual

Pips is the New York Times’ newest logic puzzle. Each board lists numbered clues around the edges, telling you how many pip halves must occupy that region. Your job is to lay domino tiles so every requirement is satisfied and each dot finds a partner.

How to solve efficiently

• Start with extremes: Regions showing 0 or the maximum pip count give immediate placements or eliminations.
• Respect adjacency: Once a tile is placed, its twin value can’t appear elsewhere-use this to deduce neighbors.
• Double-check sums: Keep a tally of remaining pips per region to avoid painting yourself into a corner.
• Use pencils first: Mark provisional spots before committing; mistakes snowball quickly in later levels.

A new puzzle arrives each day, plus an archive if you crave more. It’s a satisfying mix of Sudoku-style deduction with tactile domino charm, perfect for coffee breaks.