Pips Answer for Saturday, April 25, 2026
Complete NYT Pips puzzle solution with interactive board and expert analysis for Easy, Medium, and Hard difficulty levels.
Reveal by clicking a domino below OR a cell on the board
Expert Puzzle Analysis
Deep insights from puzzle experts
Sailing Through the Starting Grid
Nyt Pips easy answer for 2026-04-25
Answer for 2026-04-25
Solving the easy puzzle today was all about finding that one big anchor. I immediately looked at the long row of four cells at the top that all had to be equal. Since the domino [1,1] was in our pile, it felt like a perfect fit to start there. I placed it vertically at [0,1] and [1,1], which instantly told me that the entire row from [0,1] to [0,4] had to be filled with 1s.
Once those 1s were in place, the rest of the board started to clear up. I looked at the cell at [1,4], which had to be less than 6. Since its partner at [0,4] was already a 1, I used the [1,3] domino there. This left the bottom area for the [1,1] domino at [2,0] and [2,1], satisfying that second equals region. Finally, I tucked the [1,6] domino into the left side. Since [1,0] was part of an equals group with a 1, [0,0] became 6, which easily passed the greater than 4 test.
The Sum of Six Chain Reaction
Nyt Pips medium answer for 2026-04-25
Answer for 2026-04-25
The medium puzzle felt like a series of falling dominoes once I spotted the single-cell sum region. The cell at [1,0] was its own region and had to sum to 6, which is a total gift! That meant it had to be a 6, and looking at our available pieces, the [6,2] domino was the only one that worked. This placed a 2 at [2,0], and because the region [2,0] and [2,1] had to sum to 6, I knew [2,1] had to be a 4.
From there, I used the [2,4] domino to connect [2,1] and [3,1]. This led me to the less than 4 constraint at the bottom. Since [3,1] was a 2, [3,2] had to be either 0 or 1. I grabbed the [0,3] domino, which put a 3 at [2,2]. Following the sum of 6 rules again, [2,3] became a 3, and I finished the right side with the [4,3] and [2,2] dominoes. It was all about following that mathematical trail!
Cracking the Empty Cell Code
Nyt Pips hard answer for 2026-04-25
Answer for 2026-04-25
Today's hard puzzle was a real brain teaser, but the breakthrough came from the empty constraint at [3,1]. In Pips, an empty cell usually means a 0, so I looked for dominoes with a blank side. I paired it with the [3,0] domino, which set [3,2] to 3. Because [1,2], [2,2], and [3,2] were all part of an equals constraint, they all had to be 3s. This gave me a solid column to work around.
Next, I tackled the sum of 10 at [2,0] and [2,1]. Since [2,2] was a 3, and I had the [4,3] domino, I placed it so [2,1] was 4. That meant [2,0] had to be 6 to hit that total of 10. Using the [6,0] domino at [1,0] and [2,0] helped me finish the top-left sum of 5 perfectly. The biggest challenge was the large equals region on the right, but by process of elimination with the remaining doubles like [4,4] and [5,5], the pieces finally snapped into place.
Pro Tips for Today's Puzzle
Always look for regions that consist of only one cell first, as they tell you the exact value you need.
If you see a long region where all cells must be equal, check your dominoes for doubles like [1,1] or [2,2] because they are often the key to filling those spots quickly.
What I Learned
I learned that the empty cell constraint is one of the most powerful anchors in a hard puzzle because it severely limits your domino choices.
I also realized how much easier the grid becomes when you treat sum constraints as simple subtraction problems once one cell is filled.