NYT Pips hints and answers, Wednesday, September 2, 2026

Start with the cell that must equal 4 at row 1, column 2. It has the fewest ways to be satisfied.

That cell is a 4. Only 3 dominoes have a 4: 4–1, 4–4, 4–0.

Place the 4–4 domino with the 4 at row 1, column 1 and the 4 at row 1, column 2.

Full solution (domino: first half → second half): 4–1: R1C3→R2C3; 4–4: R1C1→R1C2; 4–0: R3C1→R2C1; 3–0: R3C3→R3C2.

Start with the cell that must be greater than 4 at row 2, column 5. It has the fewest ways to be satisfied.

That cell is a 5. Only 4 dominoes have a 5: 5–0, 5–6, 5–4, 3–5.

Place the 5–4 domino with the 5 at row 2, column 5 and the 4 at row 2, column 4.

Full solution (domino: first half → second half): 5–0: R2C2→R1C2; 5–6: R3C2→R3C1; 5–4: R2C5→R2C4; 3–2: R4C2→R4C1; 3–5: R4C3→R3C3; 4–3: R2C3→R1C3; 3–1: R4C4→R3C4.

Start with the cell that must equal 1 at row 3, column 6. It has the fewest ways to be satisfied.

That cell is a 1. Only 2 dominoes have a 1: 1–4, 1–6.

Place the 1–4 domino with the 1 at row 3, column 6 and the 4 at row 3, column 7.

Full solution (domino: first half → second half): 0–3: R5C3→R5C4; 0–5: R3C4→R3C3; 1–4: R3C6→R3C7; 1–6: R5C2→R5C1; 2–2: R1C1→R2C1; 2–4: R1C5→R1C6; 2–6: R3C1→R4C1; 3–4: R5C7→R4C7; 3–5: R5C6→R5C5; 4–4: R1C7→R2C7; 4–5: R2C6→R2C5; 4–6: R2C4→R1C4; 5–5: R2C2→R3C2; 5–6: R2C3→R1C3.