Recommended Free Tools
This page covers the New York Times Pips puzzle for Wednesday, November 12, 2025, which the r/nytpips community labels Pips #87. Easy and Medium placements are reported below. For the Hard board, only the opening moves are available: published coverage of this date does not give a complete Hard solution. The sections below contain spoilers.
Confirm you have the right board
This is an archived puzzle. Before you compare placements, check three things against your screen:
- Date: Wednesday, November 12, 2025. Pips is updated daily, so a board from a different date will not match these placements.
- Difficulty: Easy, Medium, or Hard. Each tier has its own board, and the sections below are labelled by tier.
- Region labels: The totals, equal values, and greater-than or less-than signs printed on the colored regions. Placements are only meaningful against those labels.
How Pips rules work
Pips is a domino-based logic puzzle from The New York Times. You fill a grid with the dominoes supplied for the board, rotating them as needed, so that every colored region meets its constraint. Uncolored cells carry no numerical rule. Play runs through NYT Games, online or in the app, according to Tom’s Guide (Kaycee Hill, August 31, 2025).
The constraints you will meet most often are:
- Region total: the pips in the region must add up to the printed number.
- Equal: every pip in the region must have the same value.
- Greater-than or less-than: the region’s pips must sit above or below the printed value.
A single domino can cover cells that belong to two different regions. In that case the placement has to satisfy both regions at once, which is the main source of difficulty in the higher tiers. The game validates placements as you go, and Tom’s Guide notes that harder levels use more complicated rules and trickier layouts.
#1 Best Overall
- Classic Game For Everyone: This set comes with bright color-dot dominoes, allowing for easier gameplay for kids & people with vision issues; comes with instructions for different gameplay variations
- Educational & Fun: This set of Double-Nine Dominoes teaches kids simple matching & math skills; play as a beginner, expert, & the whole family; for 2-6 players, adults & kids games for kids 8-12
- Durable Storage Tin: Includes convenient sturdy storage tin to keep all of your pieces organized; high-quality color dot dominoes are built to last for years to come
- 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
Easy board
The following placements are reported in Yahoo Tech’s coverage dated November 12, 2025. Dominoes are written as pip values, and each is listed with its orientation.
- Total 3: 3–5, horizontal.
- Less than 2: 1–5, horizontal.
- Total 30: 3–5 horizontal, 1–5 horizontal, 5–5 vertical, 5–0 horizontal, 5–2 horizontal.
- Total 0: 5–0, horizontal.
The reports list 5–0 under both Total 30 and Total 0, but a set contains only one 5–0 domino. Check on your board whether that single domino spans both regions before placing it. The reports also do not use a shared cell-coordinate system, so match each domino to the pictured region rather than to a grid address.
Rank #2
- 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
- Indoor/Outdoor Play: Have a blast at home and enjoy this simple yet exciting game that everyone in the family will love; great tool for kids games and outdoor games
- 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
Medium board
These placements come from the same Yahoo Tech coverage. Three dominoes appear under two regions each (3–6, 6–4, and 4–0). Those are placements that cross a region boundary, so confirm that each one covers the cells the table assigns it.
| Region | Constraint | Domino placements |
|---|---|---|
| Total 6 | Pips total 6 | 0–3 horizontal; 3–6 horizontal |
| Equal 6 | All pips equal, value 6 | 6–4 horizontal; 3–6 horizontal |
| Total 8 | Pips total 8 | 6–4 horizontal; 4–0 vertical |
| Total 4 | Pips total 4 | 4–0 vertical; 2–2 horizontal |
Hard board: opening moves only
Erik Kain, a Senior Contributor at Forbes, describes the Hard board in his guide dated November 11, 2025. Its three four-cell equal groups can take 1s, 2s, or 3s. The first reported moves are:
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteRank #3
- Classic Domino Set: Double 6 dominos set for adults with 28 professional dominoes in a wooden storage case; ideal for classic board games, family board games and memorable family game night
- Durable Quality: Premium melamine dominoes with deeply engraved, colorfast dots and smooth edges for comfortable play; built for years of domino & tile games at home or while traveling
- 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 the 1/1 domino in the two left vertical cells of the Purple equal region.
- Place the 1/0 domino from Purple into the Blue region.
- Place the 2/1 domino from Pink into Purple.
- Finish the Blue equal group with the 2/0 domino from Pink into Blue.
The guide’s next reported step places 2/4 from Pink into the Orange greater-than-2 region and 2/3 from Pink into the Dark Blue equal region. The available text ends there. The rest of the Hard board is not covered here, and the moves above are a partial route, not a finished solution.
Checking your own route
Kain frames his sequence as one approach, writing “What worked for me (and your solution may vary)”. Published coverage does not establish that this board has a single solution, so a different valid arrangement is not a mistake. When a placement breaks a constraint, undo the most recent domino and test again rather than reworking the whole region.
Rank #4
- KEEP YOUR DOMINOES ORGANIZED: Set up a winning hand. Each rack holds up to 15 domino pieces. Dominoes not included. Perfect for your Mexican Train Dominoes set or for a night of family games
- HIGH QUALITY CONSTRUCTION: Made from solid wood and designed to last for years to come. Domino wooden toys make great building toys and games for kids 8-12. Also perfect for adult games
- PERFECT FOR VETERANS AND BEGINNERS: The most convenient way to constantly view your tiles so you can focus on winning instead of worrying about palming and concealing your tiles or keeping them balanced and upright
- FAMILY BOARD GAMES: Looking for classic board games for family game night? Shop our classic collection of checkers, chess, bingo, dominoes set, poker set & more, the perfect travel games for beach days, vacations & summer party
- SPIN MASTER TOYS & GAMES: Looking for kids games, yard games & card games for grown ups, kids or teen? Shop everything from family game night, travel games, puzzles for adults & family games
Sources and dates
- Forbes, Erik Kain, guide dated November 11, 2025: the opening Hard moves.
- Yahoo Tech, November 12, 2025: the Easy and Medium placements.
- Tom’s Guide, Kaycee Hill, August 31, 2025: the rules and how the game works.
- r/nytpips thread for Wednesday, November 12, 2025: the Pips #87 label. Community posts are not an authoritative check on the solution.
Confirm every placement against the board image in your own game before relying on it.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- ALL IN ONE SET - Mexican train dominoes set comes with everything you need to have a good time with family and friends including 91 Classic Double Tiles, 9 Plastic Trains, and a Wood Hub in a Reusable Aluminum Carry Case to make sure you have enough to play with 2+ Players
- TIMELESS AND CLASSIC GAME - Double 12 dominoes set provides timeless fun for all ages, and is perfect for family game, sleepovers, parties and gatherings
- EASY TO STORE AND CARRY - Mexican dominoes train game set with Colored Dots in Aluminum Carry Case comes neatly packed in Aluminum Carry Case making them easy to store when at home or on the go
- PERFECT GIFT - Dominoes double 12 is a unique and entertaining gift idea for Birthdays, Christmas, Easter, New Years, Thanksgiving, Anniversaries, Christmas Games etc. Great for Halloween Games.
- COLORFUL AND DURABLE - Mexican dominoes train game features durable and colorful tiles with indented and well-painted dots so that they are easy to read, and provide you with long term use
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.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →
