Pip Puzzles Update

It’s Wednesday, right in the middle of our workweek, and we’re navigating puzzles as we look forward to the weekend. The latest game making waves on the New York Times Games app is Pips, and I genuinely hope it brings you as much joy as it does for me. So, let’s dive into today’s trio of pip puzzles.

Curious about Tuesday’s pip? Check out the guide here.

How to Play Pips

Pip consists of a grid filled with colorful boxes, each representing a different “state” that players need to achieve. You’ll select how many dominos to use in filling the grid, and you must utilize all of them while meeting the required conditions. The puzzles can vary in difficulty — from easy to medium.

Here’s an example of a challenging tearpip:

Pip example

In this grid, various symbols and numbers are assigned to each color. For instance, the three purple squares cannot be equal (which is why equal signs are avoided). The two adjacent pink squares need to sum to zero, while all zigzag blue squares need to match. It’s essential to rotate the dominos properly so they fit where they belong.

There are additional conditions to consider, such as “less than” and “greater than.” Here’s a quick guide:

• All pips in this group must be equal.
• All pips in this group must not be equal.
• The pip for this tile must exceed the specified number.
• The pip must match an exact number (like 6).
• Any tile without conditions is fair game.

Your goal? Fill all the squares and use every domino while satisfying each condition.

Today’s Pips Solution

Below is a straightforward solution for the medium-level pip. After that, we’ll guide you through the more complicated puzzle, so be warned about spoilers.

Easy

Today’s pip

Medium

Today’s pip

Difficult

Now, let’s walk through the tricky pips. Here’s how it begins:

Today’s pip

Starting can feel quite challenging; if you’re unsure, pick a side and start exploring the fitting conditions. Trial and error may be your best friend here.

For me, I decided to kick things off on the left and worked my way to the right. I noted there were two groups of two tiles and another two groups of three. Several domino combinations could fit these criteria — 6, 4, 3, and 2. It’s a tough place to begin, but given the layout, I realized how certain placements (horizontal and vertical) were crucial in guiding the remaining domino placements.

I placed 3/6 dominoes vertically in the purple 3, and also set a 1/3 domino in the purple 3 while fixing a green tile.

Next, I opted for a 6/2 domino in pink > 3 with green, and then set a 2/2 domino beside it to complete the green group. The last double domino was 4/4, but finding a domino with 4 that exceeds 3 was tricky, leading to the realization that green had to become 2.

Finally, I placed a 4/4 domino in blue to equalize and a 3/5 domino in pink into a free tile, concluding with a 4/3 domino in blue.

Initially, I misjudged the placement. I started with the 3/6 but mistakenly set the 2/2 domino in the purple 3. As it turns out, trial and error is essential — sometimes you can’t fully grasp the layout until you try something that doesn’t pan out. You might need a few missteps before you find success in pip or, well, life.

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