NYT Puzzle Solutions and Tips for Friday, March 20, 2026

Friday’s NYT Pips set arrives with three difficulty levels: Easy, Medium, and Hard. Filmogaz.com provides hints, step-by-step walkthroughs, and full solutions. Readers tracking NYT Puzzle Solutions and Tips for Friday, March 20, 2026 will find these Pips notes useful.

How the Pips Puzzle Works

Pips is a domino-placement logic puzzle played on a color-coded grid. Each colored zone imposes a rule you must satisfy using the pip values on your dominoes.

You must place every domino and meet every zone condition to complete the puzzle. Click or tap dominoes to rotate them as needed.

Zone Conditions

• Equal — All pips in the zone must show the same number.
• Not Equal — Every pip in the zone must be a different number.
• Greater Than — Pips must be greater than the listed number.
• Less Than — Pips must be less than the listed number.
• Exact Number — Pips in the zone must total the stated value.
• No Color — Free space; any domino value is allowed.

Easy Puzzle

The Easy grid emphasizes straightforward zone logic. Start with the most constrained area to speed discovery.

• Quick hint: Begin with the Equal zone to anchor several placements early.
• Key insight: The 0/6 tile is the only viable piece for the Greater Than (5) zone.

• Place 3/3 horizontally in pink (=) zone.
• Place 3/5 vertically in pink (=) zone.
• Place 0/6 vertically in teal (>5) zone.
• Place 5/5 vertically in purple (10) zone.
• Place 5/0 horizontally in purple (10) zone.

Medium Puzzle

The Medium puzzle adds the Not Equal mechanic while keeping clear constraints. Equal zones remain strong starting points.

• Quick hint: Tackle Equal zones first to reduce candidate placements.
• Key insight: Number zones ask for exact totals, which help once Equal zones are settled.

• Place 5/5 vertically in purple (=) zone.
• Place 5/2 vertically in purple (=) zone.
• Place 1/6 horizontally in pink (3) zone.
• Place 0/0 horizontally in navy (=) zone.
• Place 2/2 vertically in orange (=) zone.
• Place 2/0 vertically in orange (=) zone.
• Place 3/4 horizontally in green (3) zone.
• Place 6/6 horizontally in pink (=) zone.

Hard Puzzle

The Hard grid combines multiple constraint types and demands careful sequencing. Number zones can be an efficient first target.

• Quick hint: Address Number zones early to shrink options.
• Key insight: Equal zones often trigger forced placements in neighboring regions.

• Place 0/6 horizontally in pink (6) zone.
• Place 0/0 horizontally in purple (=) zone.
• Place 5/1 horizontally in teal (6) zone.
• Place 3/3 horizontally in orange (6) zone.
• Place 2/5 horizontally in navy (6) zone.
• Place 4/5 vertically in green (=) zone.
• Place 1/3 horizontally in purple (6) zone.
• Place 1/1 horizontally in purple (6) zone.
• Place 2/6 horizontally in teal (6) zone.
• Place 2/2 horizontally in pink (6) zone.
• Place 1/5 vertically in orange (6) zone.
• Place 1/6 horizontally in navy (6) zone.
• Place 5/6 horizontally in green (6) zone.

Puzzle Debrief

Overall difficulty lands at a moderate challenge. The set progresses from simple to complex constraints in a measured way.

The Hard puzzle proved the most demanding. A Less Than (2) zone created a bottleneck that forced the 1/5 placement, which then cascaded through the red Equal (5) zone.

Design note: Easy teaches basic zone rules. Medium showcases Not Equal mechanics. Hard blends several rules for satisfying interaction.

Filmogaz.com will publish tomorrow’s Pips notes when the puzzle drops at midnight. Check back for the next walkthrough and solutions.