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Hints for the February 3 Pips puzzles
Pips is a domino-placement puzzle: place tiles so the pip values in each colored region satisfy its rule. Depending on the region, that can mean reaching an exact sum, matching values, or being greater or less than a stated number.
Start with the tightest regions
Look for regions with a precise sum, an equality rule, or very few possible tiles. Track scarce and extreme values, especially high-pip halves needed by greater-than regions. A forced placement in one region can restrict the tiles available to its neighbors.
Use equality and neighboring constraints
Equal regions can quickly narrow which doubles or matching halves are available. Once a tile is placed, check how its other half affects the region on the opposite side. Work through the constraints methodically and verify every region before submitting.
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Spoilers: complete solutions
Warning: The moves below reveal the answers. They are reported by the independent NYT Pips Hint archive, which lists the February 3 set as Easy 594, Medium 622, and Hard 652. The archive attributes Easy to Ian Livengood and Medium and Hard to Rodolfo Kurchan; those creator details are archive-reported, not independently confirmed NYT metadata.
Easy
The archive’s listed tile inventory includes 6-6, 6-1, 6-0, 5-1, and 3-0. Its deductions use 6-6 for the Red Equal region, 3 and 5 for Light Blue 8, 1 and 1 for Purple 2, and a 6 for Yellow Equal. The documented placement sequence is:
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- Place 6-6 vertically in Red Equal.
- Place 3-1 vertically.
- Place 5-1 vertically.
- Place 1-6 vertically.
- Place 6-0 horizontally, with the zero in the blank.
Medium
The archive lists 6-5, 5-1, 5-0, 4-4, 4-3, 3-1, and 1-1. Its move sequence is:
- Place 1-1 vertically in Blue <4.
- Place 6-5 vertically across Green >4 and Light Blue Equal, with 6 in Green and 5 in Light Blue.
- Place 5-0 vertically across Light Blue Equal and Purple <4, with 0 in Purple.
- Place 5-1 vertically across the Red >4, Yellow Equal, and Red Equal sequence.
- Place 1-3 vertically in the linked sequence.
- Place 3-4 vertically in the linked sequence.
- Finish by placing 4-4 vertically in Purple 4.
Hard
The archive’s initial deductions identify 5-5 as the only double for Top Purple Equal and 3-2 as the only domino containing 3. It places 3-2 on the boundary of Blue >2 and Light Blue 2; the latter region needs two zero halves as well as the 2 from that tile.
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The archive’s walkthrough lists these placements in order:
- Place 5-5 horizontally in Top Purple Equal.
- Place 3-2 horizontally across Blue >2 and Light Blue 2.
- Place 1-6 horizontally.
- Place 6-0 horizontally.
- Place 4-6 horizontally.
- Place 6-5 vertically.
- Place 5-4 vertically.
- Place 4-0 horizontally.
- Place 0-2 horizontally.
- Place 2-4 horizontally.
- Place 4-1 horizontally.
- Place 1-5 horizontally.
The archive’s text does not specify board coordinates for these Hard moves. Use its solution images to confirm each tile’s exact position and orientation on the board.
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About these answers
The date, puzzle IDs, creator attributions, hints, and placements above come from an independent fan archive rather than independently retrieved NYT metadata. Treat the walkthrough as that archive’s reported solution; the listed move descriptions alone do not reproduce the board layout.
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