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NYT Pips Answers for March 23, 2026

NYT Pips answers for March 23, 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 26-square hard one, a gap of 16 squares, with the hard board carrying 3 doubles against easy's 1 and 3 loose regions against 1. Constructed by Ian Livengood.

Sukie, Puzzle editor at EnergyPips

By Sukie · Puzzle editor

Easy — 10 squares, 5 dominoes

The = 1 region is the giveaway: a target that low forces blanks and ones, and almost nothing else fits.

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.

17% of its regions are loose against a norm of 40%, 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 1, 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 = 1 region — the top right 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 1 double: 0-0. A double is the only tile that fits wholly inside an all-equal region, and there are 3 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 — easy board, March 23, 2026
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
= 1the top right single square1
=the middle left row of 30, 0, 0
no rulethe middle right single square3
=the middle left row of 24, 4
=the middle centre row of 25, 5
= 1the bottom right single square1

Every tile and the squares it covers

  • 0-4 → row 2 col 1 and row 3 col 1
  • 1-5 → row 4 col 4 and row 3 col 4
  • 0-0 → row 2 col 2 and row 2 col 3
  • 1-3 → row 1 col 4 and row 2 col 4
  • 5-4 → row 3 col 3 and row 3 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 14.8 — so nothing about its size explains an unusually long or short solve.

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 middle centre row of 2 — where the pips in this region must add up to exactly 2. Work there first because only 2 combinations of values can fill it.

Hint 2 — what your tray forces

The tray carries 2 doubles: 3-3, 6-6. 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 = 2 region resolves to 1, 1. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.

Full answer — medium board, March 23, 2026
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
= 6the top centre column of 22, 4
= 10the top centre 3-square block4, 3, 3
= 2the middle centre row of 21, 1
= 10the middle centre column of 25, 5
= 5the middle left row of 22, 3
no rulethe middle centre single square6
no rulethe middle right single square3
no rulethe bottom centre single square6

Every tile and the squares it covers

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

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

Hard — 26 squares, 13 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 10 sum regions have to carry the whole board.

At 26 squares this is a typical hard board — the average is 26.1 — so nothing about its size explains an unusually long or short solve.

21% 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 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.

Hint 1 — where to start

Start with the = 6 region — the top 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 3 doubles: 4-4, 3-3, 5-5. 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 = 6 region resolves to 6. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.

Full answer — hard board, March 23, 2026
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
= 6the top centre single square6
= 3the middle left row of 32, 1, 0
no rulethe middle centre single square0
= 4the middle centre column of 22, 2
= 6the middle centre single square6
= 2the middle centre column of 21, 1
no rulethe middle centre single square0
= 12the middle centre 3-square block4, 4, 4
= 1the middle centre column of 21, 0
no rulethe middle centre single square3
= 10the middle right column of 24, 6
= 16the middle centre column of 36, 5, 5
=the middle centre column of 33, 3, 3
= 4the middle right single square4

Every tile and the squares it covers

  • 0-1 → row 6 col 4 and row 6 col 3
  • 6-2 → row 5 col 3 and row 4 col 3
  • 4-1 → row 6 col 5 and row 6 col 6
  • 2-0 → row 3 col 3 and row 3 col 2
  • 4-4 → row 7 col 4 and row 7 col 5
  • 0-3 → row 7 col 6 and row 8 col 6
  • 3-3 → row 9 col 6 and row 10 col 6
  • 0-6 → row 2 col 3 and row 1 col 3
  • 5-5 → row 9 col 3 and row 10 col 3
  • 1-2 → row 2 col 2 and row 2 col 1
  • 6-4 → row 7 col 8 and row 8 col 8
  • 3-4 → row 6 col 7 and row 6 col 8
  • 1-6 → row 7 col 3 and row 8 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 March 23, 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 10 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 March 23, 2026 the hard board runs 26 squares across 14 regions against the easy board’s 10 and 6, 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 — 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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