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Spoilers: The hard puzzle’s two adjacent sum-0 cells force the 0/0 double. From there, the reported solution uses narrow target values and cells with only one available neighbor to lock in the lower-left placements before filling the rest of the 6×6 board. The placements below are reported by an independent fan guide, not independently verified against The New York Times.
How to approach the October 8 hard board
Pips asks you to place dominoes across the board while meeting the rule shown in each colored region. A region may require an exact sum, equal values, all different values, or values above or below a threshold; uncolored cells have no region rule. Dominoes can be rotated, but both the pip values and the cells they occupy matter. For a general explanation of the rules, see Tom’s Guide’s Pips guide.
On this hard board, the fan guide describes a 6×6 mosaic of single-cell sum targets. Start with the zeros and cells that have only one remaining neighboring cell: those constraints force placements and make the rest easier to work through. The following moves are the guide’s reported placement sequence.
Step-by-step hard solution
- Join the two zeros. One row above the bottom-left corner, place the 0/0 double horizontally across the adjacent blue sum-0 and green sum-0 cells. It is the only domino that gives both cells zero.
- Fill the bottom-left corner pair. Place 4/5 horizontally, with 4 in the blue sum-4 corner and 5 in the adjacent green sum-5 cell. The corner’s only remaining neighbor is that sum-5 cell.
- Pair the neighboring threes. Place 3/3 horizontally between the bottom-left blue sum-3 cell and the adjacent green sum-3 cell. The 4/5 tile has taken away the blue cell’s upper neighbor.
- Resolve the left edge above the zeros. Place 6/4 vertically, with 6 in the blue sum-6 cell and 4 in the blue sum-4 cell immediately below it. That sum-4 cell can only pair with the sum-6 cell above.
- Set the top-left pair. Place 3/2 vertically, with 2 in the purple sum-2 cell and 3 in the green sum-3 cell below.
- Complete the top band.
- Place 4/0 vertically: 4 in the pink sum-4 cell and 0 in the purple sum-0 cell.
- Place 1/4 horizontally: 4 in the teal sum-4 cell and 1 in the orange sum-1 cell.
- Place 0/3 horizontally: 0 in the teal sum-0 cell and 3 in the orange sum-3 cell.
- Fill the middle and right regions.
- Place 6/3 horizontally, with 3 in the green sum-3 cell and 6 in the purple sum-6 cell.
- Place 3/4 vertically, with 4 in the right teal sum-4 cell and 3 in the teal sum-3 cell.
- Place 1/0 vertically in the pink sum-1 and sum-0 cells, with 1 in sum-1 and 0 in sum-0.
- Place 0/5 vertically on the right edge, with 5 in the orange sum-5 cell and 0 in the orange sum-0 cell.
- Place 3/1 horizontally, with 1 in the purple sum-1 cell and 3 in the pink sum-3 cell.
- Finish the bottom-right.
- Place 0/2 horizontally, with 2 in the purple sum-2 cell and 0 in the pink sum-0 cell.
- Place 4/4 horizontally across the teal sum-4 and orange sum-4 cells.
- Place 4/2 horizontally, with 2 in the purple sum-2 cell and 4 in the pink sum-4 cell.
The guide reports that this assignment brings every single-cell sum target to its displayed value.
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#1 Best Overall
RoseArt Hobby Haven Bookshelf 1000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle
- WHIMSICAL COZY LIBRARY SCENE: Immerse yourself in the magic of a leafy, plant-filled library complete with twinkling lights, art supplies, and a cozy reading chair – perfect for puzzle lovers and bookworms alike
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Why the opening moves are forced
- The two adjacent zero targets need a zero on each cell, so the 0/0 double is fixed there.
- Once that domino is placed, the bottom-left sum-4 corner has only the neighboring sum-5 cell left as a partner, forcing 4/5.
- The lower-left blue sum-3 then loses its upper neighbor to the 4/5 placement, leaving the adjacent green sum-3 as its partner for 3/3.
- On the left edge, the blue sum-4 above the zero pair has only the blue sum-6 cell above available, fixing the vertical 6/4 tile.
Source and verification note
The day-specific placements and board description are reported by NYT Pips Hint’s October 8, 2026 guide, which identifies itself as an independent fan guide and unaffiliated with The New York Times. The official game page did not load during reporting, so this solution should be treated as the guide’s reported answer rather than an independently checked NYT board.
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