This is the New York Times Pips set for August 28, 2025—not the separate August 28, 2026 puzzle. The archive identifies the three boards as Easy #31, Medium #32 and Hard #33. Start with the rules and spoiler-light hints below; the Hard section includes a reported tile sequence, while exact Easy and Medium placements cannot be reliably transcribed from the available text.
How Pips works
“In Pips, you have a grid of multicolored boxes,” writes Forbes Senior Contributor Erik Kain in a tutorial. Each color marks a region with a condition. Place every domino in the supplied set so its two halves cover two cells, then satisfy the rules for all regions.
- =: every value in the region must be the same.
- ≠: the values in the region must differ.
- > or <: the marked value must be greater or less than the displayed threshold.
- A number: the region must meet the displayed exact value or sum.
- No condition: any value is allowed in that region.
A domino can cross a boundary between regions, so assess both cells and both regions before placing it. A tile that helps one target may make the other impossible.
August 28, 2025 boards at a glance
The following counts and constraint descriptions are reported by NYT Game Solver’s independent archive for the dated boards.
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| Difficulty | Puzzle | Dominoes | Regions | Reported board constraints |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | #31 | 4 | 3 | Three equal-value cells; a four-cell sum of 17; one open cell. |
| Medium | #32 | 6 | 5 | Two open single cells; a two-cell sum of 12; four equal-value cells; a four-cell sum of 17. |
| Hard | #33 | 10 | 11 | The archive highlights an equal-value pair, a cell greater than 1, a four-cell sum of 7, two cells less than 2, and an open cell. |
Hints for solving each difficulty
Easy #31 — first hint
Look for a value that can satisfy the three-cell equality region, then check which available dominoes can supply that value without disrupting the four-cell total of 17.
Easy #31 — next hint
Use the total as a constraint on the four cells together: account for values already committed by any domino crossing into that region. The remaining open cell has no regional target, but its value still comes from a domino that must fit elsewhere too.
Medium #32 — first hint
The two open single cells are flexible, not irrelevant: they can absorb values that would otherwise be awkward in a constrained region. Keep the two-cell target of 12 separate from the four-cell sum of 17 as you test placements.
Medium #32 — next hint
Prioritize the four equal-value cells and the two-cell sum. When a domino touches one of those regions, track its other half as well; it may determine whether the partner region can still reach its target.
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Hard #33 — first hint
Begin with the most restrictive areas rather than the open region. The Forbes walkthrough starts with the pink cell marked 1 and the dark-blue 17 region, then continues to the 9 region.
Hard #33 — next hint
After resolving those targets, turn to the orange region whose cells must be below 2 and the zero region. The reported sequence then works through the remaining sections; it is one possible route, not proof that the board has only one solution.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Reported Hard #33 solution sequence
For readers ready for a fuller spoiler: Erik Kain’s Forbes walkthrough reports this sequence of domino placements across the regions:
- Place 5–1 across the pink 1 tile and dark-blue 17 region.
- Add a double-six to the 17 region.
- Use 5–4 for the 9 region.
- Place 1–0 in the orange block marked less than 2.
- Place the double blank in the zero region.
- Continue with 6–2, 1–1, 2–0, 3–0 and 2–3 for the remaining sections.
Kain notes that the final 2–3 can go either way and that some Pips boards may have more than one solution. This is his reported path, not a guarantee of a unique arrangement.
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Why there is no exact tile map here for Easy and Medium
The August 28, 2025 archive reports flattened answer values for the boards, but its text does not provide a dependable coordinate-and-orientation transcription. The matching Nerd’s Chalk guide presents its solution steps in images that are not exposed in the page’s text. Assigning exact Easy or Medium domino positions without readable placements would risk giving you a false answer. Use the archive’s counts and constraints above to identify the correct date and difficulty, and consult the original visual solution pages if you need the board diagrams.
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