NYT Pips hints, solutions for January 4, 2026

Welcome to your information to Pips, the newest sport within the New York Occasions catalogue.

Launched in August 2025, the Pips places a singular spin on dominoes, making a enjoyable single-player expertise that might grow to be your subsequent each day gaming behavior.

At present, for those who’re caught, the sport solely gives to disclose the complete puzzle, forcing you to maneuver onto the following issue stage and begin over. Nonetheless, we have now you lined! Under are piecemeal solutions that can function hints so that you could discover your means via every issue stage.

Tips on how to play Pips

Should you’ve ever performed dominoes, you may have a passing familiarity for the way Pips is performed. As we have shared in our earlier hints tales for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are positioned vertically or horizontally and join with one another. The principle distinction between a standard sport of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded situations you must deal with. The touching tiles do not essentially need to match.

The situations you must meet are particular to the color-coded areas. For instance, if it gives a single quantity, each aspect of a tile in that area should add as much as the quantity supplied. It’s doable – and customary – for less than half a tile to be inside a color-coded area.

Listed here are frequent examples you may run into throughout the issue ranges:

• Quantity: All of the pips on this area should add as much as the quantity.

• Equal: Each domino half on this area have to be the identical variety of pips.

• Not Equal: Each domino half on this area will need to have a totally completely different variety of pips.

• Lower than: Each domino half on this area should add as much as lower than the quantity.

• Better than: Each domino half on this area should add as much as greater than the quantity.

If an space doesn’t have any shade coding, it means there aren’t any situations on the parts of dominoes inside these areas.

Straightforward issue hints, solutions for Jan. 4 Pips

Much less Than (1): Every little thing on this area have to be lower than 1. The reply is 0-6, positioned horizontally.

Equal (6): Every little thing on this pink area have to be equal to six. The reply is 0-6, positioned horizontally; 6-1, positioned horizontally.

Equal (5): Every little thing on this gentle blue area have to be equal to five. The reply is 5-5, positioned horizontally.

Equal (4): Every little thing on this yellow area have to be equal to 4. The reply is 2-4, positioned horizontally; 4-3, positioned horizontally.

Better Than (2): Every little thing on this area have to be better than 1. The reply is 4-3, positioned horizontally.

Medium issue hints, solutions for Jan. 4 Pips

Equal (2): Every little thing on this purple area have to be equal to 2. The reply is 2-2, positioned vertically.

Much less Than (1): Every little thing on this area have to be lower than 1. The reply is 0-2, positioned vertically.

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Equal (1): Every little thing on this gentle blue area have to be equal to 1. The reply is 1-1, positioned vertically; 1-3, positioned vertically.

Better Than (3): Every little thing on this area have to be better than 3. The reply is 2-1, positioned vertically; 0-2, positioned vertically.

Better Than (2): Every little thing on this darkish blue area have to be better than 2. The reply is 3-0, positioned vertically.

Much less Than (2): Every little thing on this purple area have to be lower than 2. The reply is 1-0, positioned vertically.

Much less Than (1): Every little thing on this inexperienced area have to be lower than 1. The reply is 3-0, positioned vertically; 0-0, positioned vertically.

Better Than (2): Every little thing on this pink area have to be better than 2. The reply is 1-3, positioned vertically.

Much less Than (1): Every little thing on this gentle blue area have to be lower than 1. The reply is 1-0, positioned vertically.

Exhausting issue hints, solutions for Jan. 4 Pips

Better Than (4): Every little thing on this purple area have to be better than 4. The reply is 6-5, positioned vertically.

Equal (3): Every little thing on this pink area have to be equal to three. The reply is 3-5, positioned vertically; 3-3, positioned horizontally; 3-4, positioned vertically.

Equal (5): Every little thing on this gentle blue area have to be equal to five. The reply is 0-5, positioned vertically; 6-5, positioned vertically; 3-5, positioned vertically; 5-5, positioned horizontally; 5-1, positioned vertically.

Quantity (12): Every little thing on this yellow area should add as much as 12. The reply is 6-6, positioned horizontally.

Much less Than (4): Every little thing on this darkish blue area have to be lower than 4. The reply is 3-1, positioned vertically.

Equal (1): Every little thing on this inexperienced area have to be equal to 1. The reply is 5-1, positioned vertically; 3-1, positioned vertically; 1-1, positioned vertically; 6-1, positioned vertically.

Quantity (4): Every little thing on this purple area should add as much as 4. The reply is 3-2, positioned vertically; 1-4, positioned horizontally.

Quantity (4): Every little thing on this area should add as much as 4. The reply is 1-4, positioned horizontally.

Much less Than (4): Every little thing on this gentle blue area have to be lower than 4. The reply is 2-6, positioned vertically.

Quantity (4): Every little thing on this yellow area should add as much as 4. The reply is 3-2, positioned vertically; 2-4, positioned vertically.

Quantity (12): Every little thing on this darkish blue area should add as much as 12. The reply is 2-6, positioned vertically; 6-1, positioned horizontally.

Quantity (4): Every little thing on this inexperienced area should add as much as 4. The reply is 2-4, positioned vertically.

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