About Pips
Play Pips online for free — a domino-placement puzzle in the spirit of the NYT's Pips. Place a full set of dominoes onto the board so every colored region satisfies its rule: a target sum, all pips equal, all pips different, or a greater-than/less-than comparison.
The Rules
Place dominoes onto the board so every colored region satisfies its rule — matching the target sum, all equal, all different, or greater/less than a neighbor.
Step by Step
- Drag dominoes from your set onto the empty board cells.
- Every board cell must be covered exactly once, using every domino in your set.
- Each colored region has a rule its covered pips must satisfy: a target sum, all equal, all different, or greater/less than another region.
- The puzzle is solved when every region's rule is satisfied and the board is fully covered.
Tips & Strategy
- Start with the most restrictive regions — a small region with a high or low target sum narrows your options fast.
- Track which dominoes you have left; a domino used in one region can't be reused elsewhere.
- 'All different' regions are easiest to satisfy early; save your most flexible dominoes for 'equal' or sum regions.
- Greater-than/less-than regions only compare two cells at a time — solve those pairs last, once the surrounding sums have narrowed your remaining dominoes down.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the same as the New York Times Pips game?
It's the same core mechanic — placing dominoes to satisfy region rules — built as an original puzzle for Logic Puzzles.
Do I need to know domino games to play Pips?
No prior domino experience needed — the rules are explained on each region, and it plays like a pure logic puzzle.
Can a domino be rotated or flipped?
Yes — each domino can be placed in either orientation to fit a region, as long as every board cell ends up covered exactly once.
