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Need a nudge before the solution? Start with the hint for your board below, then open its full placements only if you need them. This guide covers the March 10, 2026 easy, medium, and hard NYT Pips boards. The solutions come from independent guide EnergyPips, not an official New York Times answer key; MyPipsGame independently agrees with the easy-board placements. Match the date and difficulty when checking a board, since puzzle numbering can vary by timezone.
How to use these hints
Each hint path reveals one step at a time. Stop when you have enough to continue solving. Full tile placements appear under clearly marked spoiler headings.
Pips asks you to place dominoes so the pips in each colored region satisfy its rule. A region may require an exact total, equal values, or a threshold such as greater than or less than a number; some squares have no rule. The condition applies to all pips in that region.
Easy hints for March 10, 2026
Progressive hints
- Begin with the single square at the bottom left marked =3. EnergyPips describes its value as forced.
- Look for the double tiles in the tray: 1-1 and 6-6.
- The =3 square must contain 3.
Spoiler: easy board answer
EnergyPips gives these values by region:
- Top-centre equal pair: 6, 6.
- Middle-centre three-square region marked =2: 1, 0, 1.
- Middle-left free single square: 4.
- Middle-left equal pair: 2, 2.
- Middle-right free single square: 5.
- Bottom-left =3 single square: 3.
Coordinates below count from the top-left, starting with row 1 and column 1. Tile order follows the listed coordinate order.
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| Tile | Placement |
|---|---|
| 1-1 | Row 2, column 3; row 3, column 3 |
| 2-5 | Row 4, column 2; row 4, column 3 |
| 0-4 | Row 3, column 2; row 3, column 1 |
| 6-6 | Row 1, column 2; row 1, column 3 |
| 2-3 | Row 4, column 1; row 5, column 1 |
Medium hints for March 10, 2026
Progressive hints
- Start with the bottom-left single square marked <1. EnergyPips says only one value works there.
- The tray includes double tiles 0-0 and 1-1.
- The <1 square must contain 0.
Spoiler: medium board answer
EnergyPips gives these values by region:
- Top-centre column marked =9: 4, 5.
- Top-centre free single square: 5.
- Middle-centre single square marked <3: 2.
- Middle-centre single square marked >4: 5.
- Middle-centre equal row of three: 0, 0, 0.
- Bottom-left <1 single square: 0.
- Bottom-centre equal row of three: 1, 1, 1.
- Bottom-centre >5 single square: 6.
- Bottom-right free single square: 5.
Coordinates count from the top-left, starting with row 1 and column 1. Tile order follows the listed coordinate order.
| Tile | Placement |
|---|---|
| 2-5 | Row 2, column 4; row 2, column 3 |
| 0-0 | Row 3, column 4; row 3, column 5 |
| 1-1 | Row 4, column 3; row 4, column 4 |
| 6-5 | Row 4, column 5; row 4, column 6 |
| 1-0 | Row 4, column 2; row 4, column 1 |
| 5-4 | Row 1, column 4; row 1, column 3 |
| 0-5 | Row 3, column 3; row 3, column 2 |
Hard hints for March 10, 2026
Progressive hints
- Begin with the top-centre single square marked =2. EnergyPips describes it as forced.
- The tray has doubles 5-5, 4-4, and 2-2.
- The =2 square must contain 2.
Spoiler: hard board answer
EnergyPips gives these values by region:
- Top-centre =2 single square: 2.
- Top-centre equal column of two: 2, 2.
- Middle-centre equal column of two: 0, 0.
- Middle-centre three-square =8 block: 6, 1, 1.
- Middle-centre equal row of two marked =8: 6, 2.
- Middle-centre equal row of two marked =6: 3, 3.
- Middle-left =15 column of three: 5, 5, 5.
- Middle-centre =1 single square: 1.
- Middle-centre three-square =1 block: 0, 0, 1.
- Middle-centre equal row of two: 5, 5.
- Middle-centre equal four-square block: 4, 4, 4, 4.
- Middle-centre =9 column of two: 3, 6.
- Middle-centre =2 single square: 2.
- Bottom-centre >4 single square: 5.
- Bottom-centre >0 single square: 6.
Coordinates count from the top-left, starting with row 1 and column 1. Tile order follows the listed coordinate order.
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| Tile | Placement |
|---|---|
| 3-0 | Row 7, column 3; row 6, column 3 |
| 5-5 | Row 6, column 1; row 7, column 1 |
| 4-1 | Row 6, column 5; row 6, column 4 |
| 2-3 | Row 3, column 8; row 4, column 8 |
| 1-6 | Row 3, column 6; row 3, column 7 |
| 4-4 | Row 6, column 6; row 7, column 6 |
| 5-0 | Row 5, column 4; row 5, column 3 |
| 3-1 | Row 4, column 7; row 4, column 6 |
| 2-0 | Row 1, column 4; row 2, column 4 |
| 6-5 | Row 8, column 3; row 9, column 3 |
| 2-2 | Row 1, column 6; row 2, column 6 |
| 5-4 | Row 5, column 5; row 5, column 6 |
| 6-2 | Row 9, column 6; row 8, column 6 |
| 1-5 | Row 5, column 2; row 5, column 1 |
| 6-0 | Row 3, column 5; row 3, column 4 |
How the three boards compare
EnergyPips reports the following board sizes and site-specific statistics. These are its measurements and comparison averages, not official NYT statistics or independent measures of difficulty.
| Difficulty | Squares and dominoes | EnergyPips comparison | Constructor credited by EnergyPips |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | 10 squares; 5 dominoes | 9.9-square average for easy boards | Ian Livengood |
| Medium | 14 squares; 7 dominoes | 14.8-square average; 67% of this board’s regions reported as loose, versus a 41% norm | Ian Livengood |
| Hard | 30 squares; 15 dominoes | Reported as 14% larger than EnergyPips’ 26.4-square hard-board average; 13% loose regions, versus a 28% norm | Rodolfo Kurchan |
EnergyPips credits Ian Livengood with editing the set. The comparisons use EnergyPips’ own reported averages and norms; they provide context, not proof that one board is objectively harder than another.
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