Skip to content
Pips

NYT Pips Answers for April 12, 2026

NYT Pips answers for April 12, 2026, a Sunday: 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 12-square easy board to a 24-square hard one, a gap of 12 squares, with the hard board carrying 3 doubles against easy's 2 and 3 loose regions against 3. Constructed by Ian Livengood and Rodolfo Kurchan. Edited by Ian Livengood.

Sukie, Puzzle editor at EnergyPips

By Sukie · Puzzle editor

Easy — 12 squares, 6 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 3 sum regions have to carry the whole board.

At 12 squares this is 21% larger than the average easy board, which runs 9.9. 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.

The rule mix is 3 exact sums, 1 all-equal, 1 comparison, 2 with no rule at all across 7 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 easy 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.

  • = 4 (the top right single square) — the pips in this region must add up to exactly 4 — and exactly one combination of values satisfies it, so it is forced.
  • = 22 (the top left row of 4) — the pips in this region must add up to exactly 22. 2 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • = 4 (the middle left row of 2) — the pips in this region must add up to exactly 4. 3 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • > 1 (the middle right single square) — the pips in this region must add up to more than 1. 5 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 row of 2) — every pip value in this region must be the same. 7 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • no rule (the bottom 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 = 4 region — the top right single square — where the pips in this region must add up to exactly 4. 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 2 doubles: 6-6, 2-2. 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 = 4 region resolves to 4. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.

Full answer — easy board, April 12, 2026
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
= 22the top left row of 46, 6, 5, 5
= 4the top right single square4
no rulethe middle centre single square0
= 4the middle left row of 22, 2
=the middle centre row of 24, 4
> 1the middle right single square2
no rulethe bottom centre single square1

Every tile and the squares it covers

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

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

Medium — 16 squares, 8 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 2 sum regions have to carry the whole board.

At 16 squares this is a typical medium board — the average is 14.7 — so nothing about its size explains an unusually long or short solve.

50% of its regions are loose against a norm of 42%, 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 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.

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.

  • > 5 (the middle left single square) — the pips in this region must add up to more than 5 — and exactly one combination of values satisfies it, so it is forced.
  • = 1 (the middle centre row of 2) — the pips in this region must add up to exactly 1 — and exactly one combination of values satisfies it, so it is forced.
  • = 10 (the middle right column of 2) — the pips in this region must add up to exactly 10. 2 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • < 3 (the top centre single square) — the pips in this region must add up to less than 3. 3 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • < 3 (the middle left single square) — the pips in this region must add up to less than 3. 3 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • = (the middle centre row of 2) — every pip value in this region must be the same. 7 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • = (the middle centre column of 2) — every pip value in this region must be the same. 7 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • = (the middle centre 3-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.
  • no rule (the bottom 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 > 5 region — the middle left single square — where the pips in this region must add up to more than 5. 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 2 doubles: 5-5, 6-6. 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 > 5 region resolves to 6. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.

Full answer — medium board, April 12, 2026
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
< 3the top centre single square2
> 5the middle left single square6
=the middle centre row of 24, 4
=the middle centre column of 26, 6
=the middle centre 3-square block5, 5, 5
no rulethe middle centre single square4
= 10the middle right column of 25, 5
< 3the middle left single square2
= 1the middle centre row of 21, 0
no rulethe bottom centre single square3

Every tile and the squares it covers

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

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 7 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 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.

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.

  • = 0 (the top centre column of 2) — the pips in this region must add up to exactly 0 — and exactly one combination of values satisfies it, so it is forced.
  • = 0 (the middle left single square) — the pips in this region must add up to exactly 0 — and exactly one combination of values satisfies it, so it is forced.
  • = 0 (the middle right column of 2) — the pips in this region must add up to exactly 0 — and exactly one combination of values satisfies it, so it is forced.
  • = 6 (the middle right column of 2) — the pips in this region must add up to exactly 6. 4 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • = 6 (the middle centre column of 2) — the pips in this region must add up to exactly 6. 4 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • = 6 (the middle right column of 2) — the pips in this region must add up to exactly 6. 4 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • = 6 (the top left 3-square block) — the pips in this region must add up to exactly 6. 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.
  • no rule (the middle left single square) — No rule. A single free square — useful as somewhere to park a value the constrained regions cannot take.
  • = (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.
  • = (the bottom centre row of 2) — every pip value in this region must be the same. 7 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • < 6 (the top centre row of 2) — the pips in this region must add up to less than 6. 12 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
Hint 1 — where to start

Start with the = 0 region — the middle left 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 3 doubles: 3-3, 4-4, 2-2. A double is the only tile that fits wholly inside an all-equal region, and there are 2 here.

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, April 12, 2026
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
= 6the top left 3-square block2, 2, 2
= 0the top centre column of 20, 0
< 6the top centre row of 23, 2
= 6the middle right column of 21, 5
= 0the middle left single square0
no rulethe middle centre single square6
no rulethe middle left single square2
= 0the middle right column of 20, 0
=the middle left 4-square block4, 4, 4, 4
= 6the middle centre column of 23, 3
= 6the middle right column of 21, 5
=the bottom centre row of 26, 6

Every tile and the squares it covers

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

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 April 12, 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 7 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 April 12, 2026 the hard board runs 24 squares across 12 regions against the easy board’s 12 and 7, 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, medium), Rodolfo Kurchan (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.