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Pips hints — Friday, January 2, 2026

An archived puzzle. Pick your difficulty for a spoiler-safe nudge, then reveal the full board if you want it.

Friday, January 2, 2026Archived board

Easy today: 5 dominoes, 6 regions and greater-than, less-than, target-sum and all-equal constraints. We give you a light nudge first — enough to get unstuck without spoiling the fun — and the full answer only when you ask for it.

Hint 1 — where to start

Easy
Your way in today is the blue region: one cell that must be more than 5. Only 1 pip combination fits it at all, which is why it gives way first.

Hint 2

Easy
Lay the 6–5 down column 2, rows 1–2 — no guesswork needed. It is the only tile that works there, because blue must add up to more than 5. The 6 half sits in the blue region, which must be more than 5.
Reveal the full Easy answer

Easy solution — January 2, 2026

05
00
65
01
25

blue (>5): 6 | purple (<2): 1 | green (=0): 0 | amber (=): 5 · 5 · 5 | orange (=): 0 · 0 · 0 | slate (>1): 2

Prefer to watch it worked out step by step? Try the Pips Solver.

What each region asks for

RegionRuleCells
Blue>5 — Be more than 51
Purple<2 — Be less than 21
Green0 — Be exactly 01
Amber= — Show the same number on every cell3
Orange= — Show the same number on every cell3
Slate>1 — Be more than 11

Medium today: 8 dominoes, 8 regions and target-sum, all-equal and greater-than constraints. We give you a light nudge first — enough to get unstuck without spoiling the fun — and the full answer only when you ask for it.

Hint 1 — where to start

Medium
Your way in today is the blue region: one cell that must be exactly 0. Only 1 pip combination fits it at all, which is why it gives way first.

Hint 2

Medium
Lay the 0–6 across row 1, columns 1–2 — no guesswork needed. It is the only tile that works there, because blue must add up to exactly 0. The 0 half sits in the blue region, which must be exactly 0.

Hint 3

Medium
Place the 2–6 domino down column 3, rows 1–2. It is the only tile that works there, because purple must add up to exactly 12. The 2 half sits in the amber region, which must add up to exactly 2.
Reveal the full Medium answer

Medium solution — January 2, 2026

66
26
53
40
55
63
56
06

blue (=0): 0 | purple (=12): 6 · 6 | green (=10): 5 · 5 | amber (=2): 2 · 0 | orange (=): 6 · 6 · 6 · 6 | slate (>3): 4 | teal (=6): 3 · 3 | pink (=): 5 · 5

Prefer to watch it worked out step by step? Try the Pips Solver.

What each region asks for

RegionRuleCells
Blue0 — Be exactly 01
Purple12 — Add up to exactly 122
Green10 — Add up to exactly 102
Amber2 — Add up to exactly 22
Orange= — Show the same number on every cell4
Slate>3 — Be more than 31
Teal6 — Add up to exactly 62
Pink= — Show the same number on every cell2

Hard today: 11 dominoes, 8 regions and target-sum, no-repeats, greater-than and all-equal constraints. We give you a light nudge first — enough to get unstuck without spoiling the fun — and the full answer only when you ask for it.

Hard is where most players get stuck.We break it into small, spoiler-safe nudges so you can stop the moment you’re unstuck.

Hint 1 — where to start

Hard
Your way in today is the green region: two cells that must add up to more than 9. Only 6 pip combinations fit it at all, which is why it gives way first.

Hint 2

Hard
Lay the 0–0 across row 1, columns 1–2 — no guesswork needed. It is the only tile that works there, because blue must add up to exactly 2.

Hint 3

Hard
Place the 3–6 domino across row 3, columns 4–5. It is the only tile that works there, because amber must show the same number on every cell.

Hint 4

Hard
The 0–6 belongs across row 5, columns 2–3. It is the only tile that works there, because orange must show the same number on every cell. The 0 half sits in the slate region, which must add up to exactly 8.
Reveal the full Hard answer

Hard solution — January 2, 2026

06
55
62
00
22
53
66
45
36
10
44

blue (=2): 0 · 0 · 2 | purple (≠): 6 · 4 | green (>9): 5 · 5 | amber (=): 3 · 3 | orange (=): 6 · 6 · 6 · 6 | slate (=8): 0 · 4 · 4 | teal (=10): 5 · 5 · 0 | pink (=5): 1 · 2 · 2

Prefer to watch it worked out step by step? Try the Pips Solver.

What each region asks for

RegionRuleCells
Blue2 — Add up to exactly 23
Purple≠ — Have no two cells showing the same number2
Green>9 — Add up to more than 92
Amber= — Show the same number on every cell2
Orange= — Show the same number on every cell4
Slate8 — Add up to exactly 83
Teal10 — Add up to exactly 103
Pink5 — Add up to exactly 53
All hintsFull answers for this dayJun 28 →