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NYT Pips Answers for August 28, 2026

NYT Pips answers for August 28, 2026, a Friday: 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 1 double against easy's 2 and 2 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 — 10 squares, 5 dominoes

The = 2 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.

50% 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 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.

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 top centre 4-square block) — the pips in this region must add up to less than 1 — and exactly one combination of values satisfies it, so it is forced.
  • = 2 (the top 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.
  • = 2 (the middle left 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.
  • = 2 (the middle centre column of 2) — the pips in this region must add up to exactly 2. 2 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • > 2 (the middle right single square) — the pips in this region must add up to more than 2. 4 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • 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.
Hint 1 — where to start

Start with the = 2 region — the top centre 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

The tray carries 2 doubles: 0-0, 1-1. 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 2. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.

Full answer — easy board, August 28, 2026
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
< 1the top centre 4-square block0, 0, 0, 0
= 2the top centre single square2
= 2the middle left single square2
> 2the middle right single square5
no rulethe middle left single square3
= 2the middle centre column of 21, 1

Every tile and the squares it covers

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

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

Medium — 14 squares, 7 dominoes

A 14-square board across 9 regions, with 3 exact sums to anchor it and 4 looser regions to work around.

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 3 exact sums, 2 all-equal, 4 comparison across 9 regions. Every region on this board constrains something, so there are no free squares to park an awkward tile in.

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.

  • = 3 (the top 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.
  • > 5 (the middle right 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.
  • = 11 (the middle centre row of 2) — the pips in this region must add up to exactly 11 — and exactly one combination of values satisfies it, so it is forced.
  • < 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.
  • = 4 (the bottom centre row of 2) — the pips in this region must add up to exactly 4. 3 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • < 5 (the top right single square) — the pips in this region must add up to less than 5. 5 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • < 6 (the bottom centre single square) — the pips in this region must add up to less than 6. 6 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • = (the top centre column of 2) — every pip value in this region must be the same. 7 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • = (the top centre column of 3) — 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 top 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

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

Full answer — medium board, August 28, 2026
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
= 3the top centre single square3
=the top centre column of 23, 3
=the top centre column of 34, 4, 4
< 5the top right single square0
> 5the middle right single square6
< 3the middle left single square1
= 11the middle centre row of 26, 5
= 4the bottom centre row of 23, 1
< 6the bottom centre single square5

Every tile and the squares it covers

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

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

Hard — 26 squares, 13 dominoes

The = 0 region is the giveaway: a target that low forces blanks and ones, and almost nothing else fits.

At 26 squares this is a typical hard board — the average is 26.4 — so nothing about its size explains an unusually long or short solve.

13% of its regions are loose against a norm of 28%, so this board is tighter than usual — more regions hand you a number outright, which is why it may have felt unusually tractable.

The tray holds 1 double against a typical 3.11. 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 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 left 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.
  • = 1 (the top 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 top 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.
  • = 5 (the middle centre single square) — the pips in this region must add up to exactly 5 — and exactly one combination of values satisfies it, so it is forced.
  • = 2 (the middle 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.
  • = 0 (the middle centre 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.
  • = 11 (the middle centre row of 2) — the pips in this region must add up to exactly 11 — and exactly one combination of values satisfies it, so it is forced.
  • = 3 (the middle left 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.
  • = 10 (the top centre 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 top centre row of 2) — the pips in this region must add up to more than 10. 2 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • = 2 (the middle right column of 2) — the pips in this region must add up to exactly 2. 2 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • < 2 (the bottom centre row of 4) — the pips in this region must add up to less than 2. 2 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • = 7 (the top centre row of 2) — the pips in this region must add up to exactly 7. 3 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • = 7 (the bottom centre row of 2) — the pips in this region must add up to exactly 7. 3 combinations of values would satisfy it in isolation.
  • = (the bottom left row 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 = 1 region — the top 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 1 double: 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 = 1 region resolves to 1. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.

Full answer — hard board, August 28, 2026
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
= 0the top left column of 20, 0
= 1the top centre single square1
= 10the top centre column of 24, 6
> 10the top centre row of 25, 6
= 1the top centre single square1
= 7the top centre row of 23, 4
= 5the middle centre single square5
= 2the middle centre single square2
= 0the middle centre single square0
= 11the middle centre row of 26, 5
= 2the middle right column of 20, 2
= 3the middle left single square3
=the bottom left row of 21, 1
= 7the bottom centre row of 22, 5
< 2the bottom centre row of 40, 1, 0, 0

Every tile and the squares it covers

  • 3-5 → row 1 col 7 and row 2 col 7
  • 6-1 → row 1 col 5 and row 1 col 6
  • 0-2 → row 4 col 8 and row 3 col 8
  • 4-1 → row 1 col 3 and row 1 col 2
  • 0-6 → row 2 col 5 and row 2 col 6
  • 3-1 → row 3 col 1 and row 4 col 1
  • 5-2 → row 1 col 4 and row 2 col 4
  • 4-0 → row 1 col 8 and row 2 col 8
  • 1-2 → row 4 col 2 and row 4 col 3
  • 0-0 → row 1 col 1 and row 2 col 1
  • 5-6 → row 2 col 2 and row 2 col 3
  • 1-0 → row 4 col 6 and row 4 col 7
  • 5-0 → row 4 col 4 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 August 28, 2026?
The full solution for all three boards is on this page, below the hints. The = 0 region is the giveaway: a target that low forces blanks and ones, and almost nothing else fits.
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 August 28, 2026 the hard board runs 26 squares across 15 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 (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.

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