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NYT Pips for Tuesday, September 8, 2026 has three boards—easy, medium and hard. Below are spoiler-free starting hints, followed by the complete coordinate placements for each board. Coordinates count rows and columns from the board’s top-left, starting at 1.
Hints before the answers
- Easy: Start with the single square at row 1, column 2. Its region totals 2, so that cell must contain a 2; the 6–2 domino is a useful tile to consider.
- Medium: The left two-cell equal-value region resolves to 2,2. As you place tiles, check both regions touched by a domino rather than focusing only on the equality rule.
- Hard: The single-cell total-1 region at row 1, column 3 must contain a 1. The two-cell total-11 region needs 5 and 6; the cited solution explanation notes there is no 5–6 domino, which narrows how those values can fit alongside neighboring regions.
Need the full layouts? The placements below are spoilers. The independent answer pages report these as three separate boards; their identifiers are #1258, #1265 and #1270 in NYT Game Solver’s numbering, while PuzzleHints labels September 8 as #387 in its own archive. These are source-specific identifiers, not a single shared puzzle number.
September 8 Pips answers
Each entry lists the domino’s two pips, then the two cells it covers. A tile may be rotated, but its halves must occupy adjacent squares. Use each listed tile once and confirm that every cell satisfies its region rule.
Easy board
The easy board has 10 squares and 5 dominoes. Its constrained regions resolve to a single-cell total of 2; an equal pair of 4s; a pair totaling less than 2, which is 0,0; a pair totaling 12, which is 6,6; and a lower equal pair of 3s. The remaining unmarked square contains 5.
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- Classic Game For Everyone: This set comes with bright color-dot dominoes, allowing for easier gameplay for kids & people with vision issues; comes with instructions for different gameplay variations
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- 5–3: row 2, column 4; row 3, column 4.
- 6–3: row 3, column 2; row 3, column 3.
- 0–0: row 2, column 1; row 3, column 1.
- 4–4: row 1, column 3; row 2, column 3.
- 6–2: row 2, column 2; row 1, column 2.
Medium board
The medium board has 14 squares and 7 dominoes. Its completed regions include three unmarked single squares containing 6s, a three-cell equal region of 1s, and equal-value regions of 2s, 4s and 0s.
- 0–2: row 3, column 1; row 2, column 1.
- 6–6: row 1, columns 3 and 4.
- 4–4: row 2, columns 3 and 4.
- 1–1: row 1, column 5; row 2, column 5.
- 0–4: row 3, columns 2 and 3.
- 2–6: row 2, column 2; row 1, column 2.
- 1–4: row 3, columns 5 and 4.
Hard board
The hard board has 30 squares and 15 dominoes. Its listed region outcomes include single-cell totals of 1, 2, 1, 1 and 1; a two-cell total of 11 containing 6 and 5; a two-cell total of 10 containing 4 and 6; and a single cell greater than 3 containing 5. Other regions require equal values of 0, 3, 2 and 4.
Rank #2
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- 4–2: row 8, column 5; row 7, column 5.
- 0–0: row 7, columns 3 and 4.
- 3–4: row 4, column 3; row 4, column 2.
- 3–0: row 3, column 3; row 3, column 2.
- 4–1: row 9, column 6; row 10, column 6.
- 2–0: row 2, columns 1 and 2.
- 6–4: row 8, columns 3 and 4.
- 2–2: row 6, columns 4 and 5.
- 1–0: row 1, column 3; row 2, column 3.
- 3–2: row 6, column 7; row 6, column 6.
- 4–5: row 8, column 6; row 7, column 6.
- 6–2: row 5, column 2; row 6, column 2.
- 5–1: row 9, column 3; row 10, column 3.
- 3–3: row 6, column 8; row 7, column 8.
- 1–2: row 5, column 3; row 6, column 3.
How Pips clues work
Pips is a domino-placement logic puzzle: cover the grid with the available tiles while satisfying the rule shown for each colored region. A numbered badge gives the total pip value required across that region. An equal-value region requires every cell in it to match; greater-than and less-than markers impose the stated comparison. An unmarked region has no numeric condition.
A domino can cross between regions, so a placement has to work for both of its cells—not just the most obvious clue. A practical approach is to begin with a single-cell sum or another tightly constrained region, keep track of which dominoes remain, and test each candidate placement against every region it touches. A locally valid fit can still leave a neighboring region impossible to complete.
Rank #3
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The board-specific placements and clues here are reported by independent answer pages, including EnergyPips and PuzzleHints. The official NYT Pips page is the place to play; the board details above are not presented as an official NYT solution.
Quick Recap
Best Value
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Rank #4
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