Need a hint for the Hard NYT Pips board on September 12, 2026? Start at the single-square = 4 region near the top centre: its square must be a 4. The answer below is for Hard only; the dated solution page also covers separate Easy and Medium boards.
Hints for the September 12 Hard board
Spoiler warning: The hints below come first. The full region values and domino placements appear in the marked answer section.
Hint 1: Start with the single-square region
Find the single square near the top centre marked = 4. Because it contains only one square, that square must hold a 4. This is a useful forced starting point, though it does not tell you which half of a domino supplies the 4.
Hint 2: Check the doubles in the tray
The Hard tray includes 3-3, 1-1, and 6-6. A double can fill an all-equal region, and this board has three such regions. The five-square all-equal region takes five 1s; the two all-equal pairs each take 3-3.
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Full answer for NYT Pips Hard
Full spoilers below. The Hard board has 32 squares filled by 16 dominoes. Region values are listed below; for inequality regions, the values are the tiles that occupy that region and satisfy its condition.
Region values
| Region condition | Values |
|---|---|
| > 3 | 4 |
| > 4 | 6 |
| = 4 | 4 |
| All equal, five squares | 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 |
| Unconstrained square | 0 |
| = 6 | 2, 4 |
| All equal pair | 3, 3 |
| > 1 | 3 |
| < 4 | 2 |
| > 4 | 5 |
| < 2 | 0 |
| = 2 | 2 |
| > 3 | 4 |
| All equal pair | 3, 3 |
| > 9 | 6, 4 |
| = 12 | 3, 3, 6 |
| = 15 | 3, 6, 6 |
| > 4 | 5 |
| > 10 | 5, 6 |
Domino placements
Coordinates use row and column numbers counted from the board’s top-left, starting at 1. Each listed domino covers the two squares shown.
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| Domino | Covered squares |
|---|---|
| 0-4 | r2c7, r1c7 |
| 5-6 | r10c4, r10c5 |
| 3-3 | r3c8, r3c9 |
| 1-6 | r2c3, r1c3 |
| 0-3 | r7c7, r8c7 |
| 1-1 | r3c1, r3c2 |
| 4-3 | r8c1, r8c2 |
| 2-5 | r4c7, r5c7 |
| 3-6 | r9c7, r10c7 |
| 4-1 | r1c1, r2c1 |
| 3-2 | r8c9, r7c9 |
| 6-4 | r8c4, r8c5 |
| 1-3 | r3c3, r4c3 |
| 6-6 | r9c9, r10c9 |
| 2-4 | r3c5, r3c6 |
| 3-5 | r9c2, r10c2 |
How the puzzle works
NYT Pips is a domino-based logic puzzle: fit dominoes across the board while meeting the condition shown in each region. Conditions can require an exact total, identical values throughout a region, or a sum above or below a threshold. These mechanics and the Easy, Medium, and Hard modes are described by Tom’s Guide. The placements here are a solution reference, not a substitute for the game’s board display.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Source and attribution
The dated answer and placement details are reported by EnergyPips, an independent site that says it is not affiliated with or endorsed by The New York Times. An official NYT answer key was not verified. EnergyPips gives inconsistent constructor credits for the hard board, so no constructor is identified here.
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