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Spoiler warning: The hints below are progressive, but the answer sections reveal placements. The January 2, 2026 archive has separate Easy, Medium, and Hard puzzles; choose a tier and stop before its solution if you want to keep solving.
How to use these hints
NYT Pips asks you to place digital dominoes across a grid of colored regions. Depending on the region, its cells may need equal or unequal values, a value greater or less than another, or a specified total. Start with the hint for your tier, then open the placement notes only if you need more help.
The date-specific archive labels this puzzle Friday, January 2, 2026, and provides all three tiers. Open the January 2 Pips archive or play NYT Pips.
Easy
Hints
- Look for the double-zero domino: the Blue Equal region can take it horizontally.
- Use the 0–1 domino vertically so the 1 lands in the Red <2 region.
- Then work with the dominoes containing 5 to address the remaining equal and comparison regions.
Answer placements
The archive’s Easy walkthrough starts with 6–5, 5–2, 5–0, 1–0, and 0–0. It places 0–0 horizontally in Blue Equal, then places 0–1 vertically with the 1 in Red <2. Its next group uses 5–6, 5–0, and 5–2 to satisfy the remaining equal and comparison regions. These are the archive’s published placements; consult its diagram for the full board layout.
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Medium
Hints
- Use the fixed totals first: Red 12 needs two 6s, while Yellow 2 needs a 2 and a 0.
- A 5–5 domino is useful in Light Blue 10.
- After that, use the 3s and matching-value regions to narrow the remaining placements.
Answer placements
The archive lists these dominoes: 6–6, 6–5, 6–3, 6–2, 6–0, 5–5, 5–3, and 4–0. Its walkthrough makes Red 12 from 6+6 on separate dominoes and Yellow 2 from 2+0, then places 5–5 in Light Blue 10. Later placements make Purple 6 from 3+3, put equal 6s in Blue Equal, and put equal 5s in Red Equal. These placements follow the archive’s written solution.
Hard
Hints
- Begin with the 0–0, 2–6, 4–5, and 5–3 dominoes described in the walkthrough.
- Later placements involve 3–6, 6–6, 6–0, doubles, and the remaining dominoes.
- For the full sequence, use the cited walkthrough rather than combining it with another solution description: the two published written accounts do not consistently describe the same local region arrangement.
Answer walkthrough
Forbes’ Hard walkthrough by Erik Kain begins with 0–0, 2–6, 4–5, and 5–3, then describes placements involving 3–6, 6–6, 6–0, doubles, and the remaining dominoes. Kain says he did not think the Hard puzzle had alternative solutions; that is his assessment, not a formal or independently verified proof of uniqueness. The date archive also publishes a Hard walkthrough, but its written description differs in places, so this article does not merge the two paths.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What Pips’ region clues mean
Colored regions impose conditions on the domino halves that occupy their cells. A region may require matching or different values, a greater-than or less-than comparison, or an exact sum. The challenge is both arithmetic and placement: a domino can contribute values to different regions, so its orientation and position matter as much as the numbers on it. For a general explanation of the mechanics, see Forbes’ Pips guide and January 2 walkthrough.
The Easy and Medium placements above come from the fan-made January 2 archive; the Hard sequence is attributed to Forbes. The official NYT play page is linked for access, but the puzzle-specific placements here are not independently verified against it.
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