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NYT Pips Answers for February 9, 2026

NYT Pips answers for February 9, 2026, a Monday: 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 a 10-square easy board to a 30-square hard one, a gap of 20 squares, with the hard board carrying 4 doubles against easy's 2 and 2 loose regions against 4. Constructed by Ian Livengood.

Sukie, Puzzle editor at EnergyPips

By Sukie · Puzzle editor

Easy — 10 squares, 5 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 1 sum region have to carry the whole board.

At 10 squares this is a typical easy board — the average is 9.9 — so nothing about its size explains an unusually long or short solve.

67% of its regions are loose against a norm of 40%, so this board is vaguer than usual — there is less exact arithmetic to anchor on and more reasoning by elimination.

Its tightest sum target is 8, against a median of 5 across every board published. A high target forces large values into a small space, which narrows the options just as sharply from the other direction.

Hint 1 — where to start

Start with the < 2 region — the top left single square — where the pips in this region must add up to less than 2. Work there first because only 2 combinations of values can fill it.

Hint 2 — what your tray forces

The tray carries 2 doubles: 1-1, 0-0. A double is the only tile that fits wholly inside an all-equal region, and there is one here.

Hint 3 — the opening region's values

The < 2 region resolves to 1. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.

Full answer — easy board, February 9, 2026
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
< 2the top left single square1
=the top right column of 30, 0, 0
= 8the middle left 3-square block1, 3, 4
no rulethe middle centre single square2
> 4the bottom left single square5
no rulethe bottom right single square6

Every tile and the squares it covers

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

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

Medium — 14 squares, 7 dominoes

The = 2 region is the giveaway: a target that low forces blanks and ones, and almost nothing else fits.

At 14 squares this is a typical medium board — the average is 14.8 — so nothing about its size explains an unusually long or short solve.

The tray holds 0 doubles against a typical 1.79. 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.

Its tightest sum target is 2, against a median of 5 across every board published. A target that low forces blanks and low values, and is usually the fastest way in.

Hint 1 — where to start

Start with the = 2 region — the top left single square — where the pips in this region must add up to exactly 2. 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: 41.

Hint 3 — the opening region's values

The = 2 region resolves to 2. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.

Full answer — medium board, February 9, 2026
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
= 2the top left single square2
= 2the top right single square2
=the middle left column of 23, 3
< 2the middle right column of 21, 0
=the middle left 3-square block6, 6, 6
> 9the middle centre column of 25, 5
= 2the middle right column of 22, 0
no rulethe bottom centre single square0

Every tile and the squares it covers

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

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

Hard — 30 squares, 15 dominoes

A 7-square all-different region is the standout feature — with only seven pip values in existence, a region that size eliminates the overwhelming majority of combinations and is the fastest way into this hard board.

At 30 squares this is 15% larger than the average hard board, which runs 26.1. More squares means more placements to keep straight at once, and a mistake made early sits underneath more correct-looking work before you find it.

17% of its regions are loose against a norm of 29%, so this board is tighter than usual — more regions hand you a number outright, which is why it may have felt unusually tractable.

Its tightest sum target is 0, 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.

Hint 1 — where to start

Start with the = 0 region — the middle centre single square — where the pips in this region must add up to exactly 0. 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: 4-4, 0-0, 5-5, 2-2. With 1 all-different and 2 all-equal regions on the board, those doubles are barred from the former and are the only tiles that fit wholly inside the latter — which usually pins two of them before you make a real decision.

Hint 3 — the opening region's values

The = 0 region resolves to 0. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.

Full answer — hard board, February 9, 2026
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
= 4the top left column of 22, 2
= 6the top centre column of 23, 3
= 2the top centre column of 21, 1
=the middle left 3-square block4, 4, 4
> 15the middle centre 3-square block6, 6, 6
= 0the middle centre single square0
= 16the middle centre column of 35, 5, 6
= 0the middle right single square0
≠the middle left 7-square block0, 1, 3, 5, 4, 6, 2
= 9the middle centre 3-square block2, 5, 2
= 0the bottom centre single square0
=the bottom centre row of 21, 1

Every tile and the squares it covers

  • 3-5 → row 7 col 2 and row 7 col 3
  • 6-1 → row 3 col 3 and row 2 col 3
  • 4-4 → row 3 col 1 and row 4 col 1
  • 0-0 → row 5 col 2 and row 6 col 2
  • 5-5 → row 5 col 5 and row 6 col 5
  • 4-1 → row 8 col 1 and row 7 col 1
  • 2-6 → row 8 col 3 and row 8 col 2
  • 1-0 → row 8 col 6 and row 8 col 5
  • 5-6 → row 7 col 6 and row 7 col 5
  • 2-0 → row 6 col 7 and row 5 col 7
  • 6-4 → row 4 col 3 and row 4 col 2
  • 2-1 → row 7 col 7 and row 8 col 7
  • 6-3 → row 3 col 2 and row 2 col 2
  • 2-2 → row 1 col 1 and row 2 col 1
  • 3-1 → row 1 col 2 and row 1 col 3

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 February 9, 2026?
The full solution for all three boards is on this page, below the hints. A 7-square all-different region is the standout feature — with only seven pip values in existence, a region that size eliminates the overwhelming majority of combinations and is the fastest way into this hard 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 February 9, 2026 the hard board runs 30 squares across 12 regions against the easy board’s 10 and 6, and carries 2 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 — the board itself is not reproduced here to play. To play it, go to the Times. To play a free daily domino puzzle of our own making, with a full archive, start here.

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