<p>From the <a href="http://www.gen42.com/downloads/rules/Hive_Rules.pdf" rel="noreferrer">rules</a>, p11 (see also p1):</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>The game ends as soon as one Queen Bee is completely surrounded by pieces of <strong>any color.</strong></p>
</blockquote>

<p>So the situation you depict is not a stalemate - it's an immediate victory for Black.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-12T07:53:06.720Z
Oh wow, well that changes things. That makes so much more sense. Thanks for the clarification!
LandonSchropp
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-12T03:11:41.727Z
2017-03-12T03:11:41.727Z
Benjamin Cosman
<p>My wife and I are playing it first game of Hive, and we're a little confused on how to win.  We're playing without the mosquitoes and ladybugs as the directions suggested. Given the game below, couldn't white's grasshoppers just surround the queen bee indefinitely? What would force them to move? </p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/KrRFO.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></p>

<hive>
How to break a stalemate in Hive?
LandonSchropp
# How to break a stalemate in Hive?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-03-12)

My wife and I are playing it first game of Hive, and we're a little confused on how to win. We're playing without the mosquitoes and ladybugs as the directions suggested. Given the game below, couldn't white's grasshoppers just surround the queen bee indefinitely? What would force them to move?

![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/KrRFO.jpg)

**Tags:** hive


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2017-03-12. Score: 10 | Accepted answer

From the [rules](http://www.gen42.com/downloads/rules/Hive_Rules.pdf), p11 (see also p1):

> The game ends as soon as one Queen Bee is completely surrounded by pieces of **any color.**

So the situation you depict is not a stalemate - it's an immediate victory for Black.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Oh wow, well that changes things. That makes so much more sense. Thanks for the clarification!  

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