This guide covers the Friday, December 19, 2025 NYT Pips puzzle, identified by the community as Pips #124—not a current-day board. Spoilers follow: choose the Easy, Medium, or Hard section for the tier you want to solve.
How NYT Pips works
Pips is a digital domino-placement puzzle. Place every supplied domino into the colored grid, filling its cells while meeting each region’s condition. Dominoes can be rotated. A region may require matching values, different values, a specified total, values above or below a threshold, or an exact value; unmarked cells have no value condition. Some boards may allow more than one valid solution. Forbes’ rules and Hard walkthrough explain the mechanics.
Easy answers for December 19
Spoilers: the placements below reveal the Easy solution. Daily Jagran lists these placements by condition:
- Total 5: Place 5–3 vertically.
- Total 0: Place 0–6 vertically.
- Equal 3: Place 5–3 vertically and 3–0 horizontally.
- Less than 5: Place 6–4 horizontally.
- Total 12: Place 6–6 vertically.
These Easy placements are reported by Daily Jagran’s December 19 guide.
#1 Best Overall
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Medium answers for December 19
Spoilers: Daily Jagran groups the Medium placements by color. The source text does not provide a board diagram that independently maps each color to a condition, so the placements are retained under those color labels.
- Pink: 5–blank vertically.
- Purple: 1–1 horizontally and 1–blank horizontally.
- Yellow: 4–4 vertically.
- Teal: 1–blank horizontally, blank–blank horizontally, and 5–blank vertically.
- Blue: 3–4 vertically.
- Green: 6–5 horizontally and 3–4 vertically.
Source: Daily Jagran.
Hard answers and walkthrough
Spoilers: Forbes describes this as a 12-domino board with small groups, total conditions, and free cells. It has one blank and no equal/unequal or greater/less-than clues. The written walkthrough uses the region labels and placements below:
Rank #2
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- Fun for Everyone: Dominoes set for adults and kids designed for two to four players; perfect for family games, board games for adults, games for family night and screen-free entertainment
- Portable Storage: Compact wood case keeps every domino organized and protected; easy to pack for travel games, camping trips, vacations, parties and gatherings with friends or family
- Certified & Gift Ready: Tested to meet applicable toy safety requirements for the US, Canada, EU and UK; an excellent Christmas, birthday or holiday gift for anyone who enjoys classic games and juegos de mesa
- Place 1–4 from Orange 1 in Pink 9, then place 1–1 from Orange 1 in Blue 2.
- Route 1–3 from Blue 2 to a free cell and 5–4 from Pink 9 into Green 7.
- Place 6–3 from the far-right free cell into Green 7, then 6–5 from Blue 6 into a second free cell.
- Place 4–1 from Pink 4 into Purple 3, then 2–6 from Purple 3 into the fourth free cell.
- Finish with 2–3 from Dark Blue 6 into Orange 9; place 3–3 in the remaining Orange 9 cells; place 5–5 in Purple 10; and place 2–2 in Dark Blue 6.
Forbes author Erik Kain wrote, “I’m pretty sure there aren’t any alternative solutions, but maybe you fine Pipsqueaks found one . . . .” That is the author’s uncertainty, not an official NYT statement. Read the Forbes Hard walkthrough for its original presentation.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.About the date and puzzle number
The date is Friday, December 19, 2025, and a community thread identifies the board as Pips #124. The thread corroborates the date and number; it is community discussion, not an authoritative answer key. See the r/nytpips thread.
Recommended Free Tools
Rank #3
- Great For On-The-Go Fun: This set of double 12 dominoes comes in a sleek, stylish aluminum carry case and has everything you need to play; the sturdy aluminum case makes it easy and safe to transport
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- Quick Start, Fun & Engaging: Just take the game out of the box, read the easy-to-follow instructions and choo-choo; you're off on an exciting trip to play Mexican train dominoes; recommended for 2-8 players, ages 8 and up
- Family Game Night: Keep the fun going with more Spin Master Games to add to your family’s board game shelf: Hedbanz, Beat the Parents, Family Feud, Jumanji, Wicked: The Game, Mind the Gap & more
- Spin Master Games & Toys: Looking for kids games, yard games & card games for adults, kids or teens? Find family favorite puzzles & games for family game night, travel games, kids puzzles & more
The Easy and Medium placements above are transcribed from Daily Jagran, while the Hard walkthrough and rules come from Forbes. These are secondary-source solutions; the sources cited here are not an official NYT answer key.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Complete Mexican Train Dominoes Set: 4 Wooden Domino Holders, Hub, 91 Tiles, 9 Plastic Trains, Score Pad, Instruction, and Aluminum Carrying Case
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- Perfect Gift: Mexican Train Dominoes double 12 is a unique and entertaining gift idea for Birthdays, Christmas, Easter, New Years, Thanksgiving, Anniversaries, Christmas Gifts and Halloween Gifts
Rank #4
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- PROMOTES STRATEGIC THINKING: Enhance critical thinking and problem-solving skills while having fun with friends and family.
- ON-THE-GO GAMING: The reusable tin case allows for easy storage and great for on-the-go fun.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
