Skip to content
Pips

NYT Pips Answers for January 1, 2026

NYT Pips answers for January 1, 2026, a Thursday: hints first, then the full solution for the easy, medium and hard boards. Take the hints in order and stop when you have enough — nothing below is revealed until you open it.

Today's set runs from an 8-square easy board to a 24-square hard one, a gap of 16 squares, with the hard board carrying 4 doubles against easy's 0 and 3 loose regions against 2. Constructed by Ian Livengood and Rodolfo Kurchan. Edited by Ian Livengood.

Sukie, Puzzle editor at EnergyPips

By Sukie · Puzzle editor

Easy — 8 squares, 4 dominoes

A 8-square board across 5 regions, with 2 exact sums to anchor it and 2 looser regions to work around.

At 8 squares this is 19% smaller than the average easy board, which runs 9.9. A smaller grid is more forgiving: a bad tile is fewer undos away from being fixed.

The tray holds 0 doubles against a typical 1.32. Doubles are the most constrained tiles you can be dealt, so you get fewer of the free constraints doubles normally provide, and have to find your footholds elsewhere.

Where the information is on this board

Ordered from most constrained to least — which is the order worth working them in. No values are given away here, only how much each region can tell you.

  • = 3 (the bottom centre single square) — the pips in this region must add up to exactly 3 — and exactly one combination of values satisfies it, so it is forced.
  • < 2 (the bottom centre single square) — the pips in this region must add up to less than 2. 2 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • = 3 (the middle centre row of 3) — the pips in this region must add up to exactly 3. 3 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • no rule (the top right single square) — No rule. A single free square — useful as somewhere to park a value the constrained regions cannot take.
  • = (the middle left column of 2) — every pip value in this region must be the same. 7 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
Hint 1 — where to start

Start with the = 3 region — the bottom centre single square — where the pips in this region must add up to exactly 3. Work there first because exactly one combination of values can fill it, so it is fully forced before you place anything.

Hint 2 — what your tray forces

Your tray holds no doubles today, which removes the usual shortcut — nothing is barred from the all-different regions on shape alone. Total pips in the tray: 17.

Hint 3 — the opening region's values

The = 3 region resolves to 3. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.

Full answer — easy board, January 1, 2026
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
no rulethe top right single square0
=the middle left column of 25, 5
= 3the middle centre row of 32, 0, 1
< 2the bottom centre single square1
= 3the bottom centre single square3

Every tile and the squares it covers

  • 5-1 → row 3 col 1 and row 3 col 2
  • 0-3 → row 2 col 3 and row 3 col 3
  • 0-1 → row 1 col 4 and row 2 col 4
  • 5-2 → row 2 col 1 and row 2 col 2

Rows and columns are counted from the top-left of the board, starting at 1.

Medium — 14 squares, 7 dominoes

Two or more regions carry no rule at all today, which sounds generous and is not: unconstrained squares give you nothing to reason from, so the 5 sum regions have to carry the whole board.

At 14 squares this is a typical medium board — the average is 14.7 — so nothing about its size explains an unusually long or short solve.

The rule mix is 5 exact sums, 1 comparison, 2 with no rule at all across 8 regions. The unconstrained regions are the ones worth noticing: they look like free squares and are actually the reason the rest of the board has to carry more weight.

Nothing here is far enough from the medium norm to explain an unusually fast or slow solve, which makes it a good board to practise the standard opening on: bound the exact sums first, work out where the doubles cannot go, then check for an orphan square before you touch a comparison region.

Where the information is on this board

Ordered from most constrained to least — which is the order worth working them in. No values are given away here, only how much each region can tell you.

  • = 6 (the middle centre single square) — the pips in this region must add up to exactly 6 — and exactly one combination of values satisfies it, so it is forced.
  • = 10 (the middle left column of 2) — the pips in this region must add up to exactly 10. 2 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • = 10 (the middle centre row of 2) — the pips in this region must add up to exactly 10. 2 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • = 10 (the bottom centre row of 2) — the pips in this region must add up to exactly 10. 2 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • < 3 (the middle right column of 2) — the pips in this region must add up to less than 3. 4 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • no rule (the top centre single square) — No rule. A single free square — useful as somewhere to park a value the constrained regions cannot take.
  • no rule (the middle centre single square) — No rule. A single free square — useful as somewhere to park a value the constrained regions cannot take.
  • = 6 (the middle centre 3-square block) — the pips in this region must add up to exactly 6. 7 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
Hint 1 — where to start

Start with the = 6 region — the middle centre single square — where the pips in this region must add up to exactly 6. Work there first because exactly one combination of values can fill it, so it is fully forced before you place anything.

Hint 2 — what your tray forces

The tray carries 1 double: 5-5. Neither all-equal nor all-different regions appear today, so the doubles are unusually free — place them last.

Hint 3 — the opening region's values

The = 6 region resolves to 6. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.

Full answer — medium board, January 1, 2026
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
no rulethe top centre single square0
= 10the middle left column of 26, 4
no rulethe middle centre single square3
= 6the middle centre 3-square block2, 2, 2
= 10the middle centre row of 25, 5
= 6the middle centre single square6
< 3the middle right column of 20, 0
= 10the bottom centre row of 26, 4

Every tile and the squares it covers

  • 2-6 → row 3 col 3 and row 4 col 3
  • 0-4 → row 4 col 5 and row 4 col 4
  • 5-5 → row 2 col 4 and row 2 col 5
  • 3-6 → row 2 col 2 and row 2 col 1
  • 2-4 → row 3 col 2 and row 3 col 1
  • 0-6 → row 3 col 5 and row 3 col 4
  • 2-0 → row 2 col 3 and row 1 col 3

Rows and columns are counted from the top-left of the board, starting at 1.

Hard — 24 squares, 12 dominoes

Two or more regions carry no rule at all today, which sounds generous and is not: unconstrained squares give you nothing to reason from, so the 4 sum regions have to carry the whole board.

At 24 squares this is a typical hard board — the average is 26.4 — so nothing about its size explains an unusually long or short solve.

Its tightest sum target is 1, against a median of 4 across every board published. A target that low forces blanks and low values, and is usually the fastest way in.

Where the information is on this board

Ordered from most constrained to least — which is the order worth working them in. No values are given away here, only how much each region can tell you.

  • = 1 (the bottom centre single square) — the pips in this region must add up to exactly 1 — and exactly one combination of values satisfies it, so it is forced.
  • = 1 (the bottom centre single square) — the pips in this region must add up to exactly 1 — and exactly one combination of values satisfies it, so it is forced.
  • = 2 (the bottom centre single square) — the pips in this region must add up to exactly 2 — and exactly one combination of values satisfies it, so it is forced.
  • = 6 (the bottom right single square) — the pips in this region must add up to exactly 6 — and exactly one combination of values satisfies it, so it is forced.
  • no rule (the top left single square) — No rule. A single free square — useful as somewhere to park a value the constrained regions cannot take.
  • = (the top centre row of 2) — every pip value in this region must be the same. 7 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • = (the top centre row of 3) — every pip value in this region must be the same. 7 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • = (the middle left 4-square block) — every pip value in this region must be the same. 7 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • no rule (the middle centre single square) — No rule. A single free square — useful as somewhere to park a value the constrained regions cannot take.
  • = (the middle centre 4-square block) — every pip value in this region must be the same. 7 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • = (the middle left 4-square block) — every pip value in this region must be the same. 7 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • no rule (the middle centre single square) — No rule. A single free square — useful as somewhere to park a value the constrained regions cannot take.
Hint 1 — where to start

Start with the = 1 region — the bottom centre single square — where the pips in this region must add up to exactly 1. Work there first because exactly one combination of values can fill it, so it is fully forced before you place anything.

Hint 2 — what your tray forces

The tray carries 4 doubles: 2-2, 5-5, 4-4, 0-0. A double is the only tile that fits wholly inside an all-equal region, and there are 5 here.

Hint 3 — the opening region's values

The = 1 region resolves to 1. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.

Full answer — hard board, January 1, 2026
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
no rulethe top left single square1
=the top centre row of 26, 6
=the top centre row of 35, 5, 5
=the middle left 4-square block4, 4, 4, 4
no rulethe middle centre single square0
=the middle centre 4-square block2, 2, 2, 2
=the middle left 4-square block0, 0, 0, 0
no rulethe middle centre single square5
= 1the bottom centre single square1
= 1the bottom centre single square1
= 2the bottom centre single square2
= 6the bottom right single square6

Every tile and the squares it covers

  • 6-4 → row 1 col 3 and row 2 col 3
  • 0-1 → row 5 col 3 and row 5 col 4
  • 2-2 → row 3 col 6 and row 3 col 7
  • 4-0 → row 3 col 1 and row 4 col 1
  • 5-5 → row 1 col 6 and row 1 col 7
  • 6-2 → row 5 col 7 and row 4 col 7
  • 4-4 → row 3 col 2 and row 3 col 3
  • 5-0 → row 1 col 5 and row 2 col 5
  • 2-1 → row 5 col 6 and row 5 col 5
  • 0-0 → row 5 col 1 and row 5 col 2
  • 6-1 → row 1 col 2 and row 1 col 1
  • 2-5 → row 3 col 5 and row 4 col 5

Rows and columns are counted from the top-left of the board, starting at 1.

Questions about this day

What is the answer to NYT Pips on January 1, 2026?
The full solution for all three boards is on this page, below the hints. Two or more regions carry no rule at all today, which sounds generous and is not: unconstrained squares give you nothing to reason from, so the 4 sum regions have to carry the whole board.
Can I see a hint without seeing the whole answer?
Yes. Each difficulty has three hints in order — where to start, what your tray forces, then the values in the opening region — each behind its own disclosure, with the full solution last. Nothing is revealed until you open it.
Are these the official New York Times boards?
The puzzle data is the Times’ own, and this page reports and explains the solution. EnergyPips is not affiliated with The New York Times, and the boards are not reproduced here to play — to play, go to the Times. To play a free daily domino puzzle of our own, the rest of this site is that.
Why is the hard board harder than the easy one?
On January 1, 2026 the hard board runs 24 squares across 12 regions against the easy board’s 8 and 5, and carries 3 regions that give you no exact number to work from.

About these answers

EnergyPips is an independent site and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to The New York Times. This page reports and explains the solution to a published puzzle, constructed by Ian Livengood (easy), Rodolfo Kurchan (medium, hard) and edited by Ian Livengood — the board itself is not reproduced here to play. To play it, go to the official NYT Pips puzzle. To play a free daily domino puzzle of our own making, with a full archive, start here.

Keep reading

Or go back to today's pips puzzle.