Pip has quickly become my go-to among the daily puzzles I tackle from the NYT. I really appreciate the change of pace it offers compared to the usual word games. Taking a guess at a single word in Wordle can feel different from the grid-based word discovery in Strands. Crosswords involve solving clues, while Spelling Bee can often be frustrating — you’re just trying to come up with as many words as possible. Pip, though, plays out like a domino-pattern game. It’s not quite a math exercise, but it’s definitely more engaging than simply moving tiles around. I really enjoy it, and it seems to be gaining traction. Let’s dive into today’s challenge!
Looking for Monday’s pip? Check out the guide here.
How to Play Pip
Pip involves a grid filled with multi-colored boxes. Each color represents a different “state” that you need to achieve. You select a number of dominos to fill this grid, and your goal is to use them all while meeting the specified conditions. The game has easy and medium difficulty levels.
Here’s an example of a tricky pip:
In this grid, the symbols and numbers for each color present a specific challenge. For instance, the three purple squares on the left can’t be equal, which means you can’t use the equal sign there. Conversely, the two pink squares must add up to zero. Additionally, all zigzag blue squares need to match. You’ll have to rotate the dominos to fit them into place.
Conditions not shown include aspects like “less than” or “greater than.” Here are some of the key rules:
- All pips in this group must be equal.
- All pips in this group must not be equal.
- The value for this tile must exceed the listed number.
- The pip must equal this specific number.
- Any tile without specified conditions can be used.
To win, you need to fill all squares using all dominos while meeting each condition. You can play today’s pip puzzle on the NYT website.
Today’s PIPS Solution
Here’s a straightforward solution for today’s medium-level pip. After that, we’ll guide you through a more complex puzzle. Spoilers ahead.
Easy
Medium
Difficult
Now, let’s walk through today’s tough pip. It starts off looking pretty interesting:
At first glance, it resembles either a flying saucer or maybe a car. Yesterday’s was a dog or cat, but this one feels more like a vehicle. What I noticed immediately was the sizable group structure. That large pink group of 20 likely requires a total of four 5s, while the big blue group of 24 probably needs all sixes. Sure, you could make 20 with a combination of 4 and 6, but just above is a group totaling 12 in blue, which I’d assume needs two 6s. It seems we definitely need six 6s for the pip, and there doesn’t appear to be enough dominos left for the pink group. That was my thinking starting the puzzle.
I opted to begin at the front of the car, filling in most of the hood and front tires. I placed a 6/2 domino from the blue group of 12 to the purple tiles of 2, while a 6/5 domino from that same blue group went into the pink 20 group. I then filled in some 5/5 dominos at the bottom of the pink 20 section.
Next, I moved to the back of the car. There were six groups of green, and based on what I had left, it seemed likely I needed two pieces of 3 pips. With no blank dominos available, I needed three 1-pip squares to fill the pink group of 3, while enough dominos remained to complete the purple group with a 4.
So, I laid a green 6 from the 3/1 domino into the dark blue 1 tile and then took a green 6 to the 3/6 domino into blue 24. I placed the 6/6 domino as the foundational piece for the blue 24. I tried adjusting the 6/1 domino into the orange ≠ group, but it threw off the entire puzzle. Thus, here’s where it ended up:
With only a few dominos left, I returned to the front to work my way around. I placed the 5/4 dominos into the free tiles at pink 20. I moved 3/4 tiles from the free spots into purple, and put a 4/4 domino into the remaining purple tiles, as well as 1/1 tiles into the pink group of 3. Then I fit 1/2 dominos from pink 3 into the orange tiles and finally 3/2 dominos from the orange into the last free tile. And that did it!
Personally, I found today’s puzzle simpler than yesterday’s — although I got a bit stumped by the ≠ group. I was held up until I got the 6/1 tile in the correct spot. Ultimately, it all worked out, and I finished quicker than with yesterday’s “mushroom” pip. What a relief.
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