Settlers of Catan: Cities and Knights Conundrum

This is a guest post from the CommonSenseDad. If you're familiar with the game, let us know what you think.

1. Red has established a long road that separates Blue's two settlements. Blue is highly irate about this situation and intends to do something about it.

2. Blue has successfully built a settlement in a legal position that cuts Red's road. Red is unhappy that he looses his nice long contiguous road, but Blue isn't done yet.

3. Blue now plays a Diplomat card and removes one of Red's roads because Blue believes that since Red's road is cut, the road is now open and the last segment can be removed. (MUUUWAHHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!) (You might notice that I seem to be taking Blue's side in this game. This was a real game situation, and I was playing Blue. Ok, confession time is done.)

4. Blue now builds two road segments connecting his settlements and establishing a nice long road, while also cutting off Red's settlements. (This part doesn't really have any bearing on the question of playing the Diplomat card in step 3, I just wanted to point out how brilliant this play really is. You see it, right? Brilliance? Shield your eyes.)

Ok, so the question boils down to...Once Blue has placed his settlement and cut off Red's long road, are the two sides of Red's road now considered open meaning that the Diplomat card can be played to remove the last segment in either one? The rules state that for a road to be closed, they have to have something item of the same color (settlement, city, or knight) at the end of that road.