Related papers: Improved Complexity Results on $k$-Coloring $P_t$-…

Let $P_t$ and $C_\ell$ denote a path on $t$ vertices and a cycle on $\ell$ vertices, respectively. In this paper we study the $k$-coloring problem for $(P_t,C_\ell)$-free graphs. Maffray and Morel, and Bruce, Hoang and Sawada, have proved…

The NP-complete problems Colouring and k-Colouring $(k\geq 3$) are well studied on $H$-free graphs, i.e., graphs that do not contain some fixed graph $H$ as an induced subgraph. We research to what extent the known polynomial-time…

The $k$-Colouring problem is to decide if the vertices of a graph can be coloured with at most $k$ colours for a fixed integer $k$ such that no two adjacent vertices are coloured alike. If each vertex u must be assigned a colour from a…

The $k$-Coloring problem on hereditary graph classes has been a deeply researched problem over the last decade. A hereditary graph class is characterized by a (possibly infinite) list of minimal forbidden induced subgraphs. We say that a…

For a graph $F$, a graph $G$ is \emph{$F$-free} if it does not contain an induced subgraph isomorphic to $F$. For two graphs $G$ and $H$, an \emph{$H$-coloring} of $G$ is a mapping $f:V(G)\rightarrow V(H)$ such that for every edge $uv\in…

In this paper, we show that every $(2P_2,K_4)$-free graph is 4-colorable. The bound is attained by the five-wheel and the complement of the seven-cycle. This answers an open question by Wagon \cite{Wa80} in the 1980s. Our result can also be…

We show that the 4-coloring problem can be solved in polynomial time for graphs with no induced 5-cycle $C_5$ and no induced 6-vertex path $P_6$.

Let $P_k$ be a path, $C_k$ a cycle on $k$ vertices, and $K_{k,k}$ a complete bipartite graph with $k$ vertices on each side of the bipartition. We prove that (1) for any integers $k, t>0$ and a graph $H$ there are finitely many subgraph…

Given an integer $k>4$ and a graph $H$, we prove that, assuming P$\neq$NP, the List-$k$-Coloring Problem restricted to $H$-free graphs can be solved in polynomial time if and only if either every component of $H$ is a path on at most three…

The Colouring problem asks whether the vertices of a graph can be coloured with at most $k$ colours for a given integer $k$ in such a way that no two adjacent vertices receive the same colour. A graph is $(H_1,H_2)$-free if it has no…

The 3-coloring of hereditary graph classes has been a deeply-researched problem in the last decade. A hereditary graph class is characterized by a (possibly infinite) list of minimal forbidden induced subgraphs $H_1,H_2,\ldots$; the graphs…

A graph is $P_t$-free if it contains no induced subgraph isomorphic to a $t$-vertex path. A graph is not bipartite if and only if it contains an induced subgraph isomorphic to a $k$-vertex cycle, where $k$ is odd. We focus on the 3-coloring…

We present a polynomial-time algorithm that determines whether a graph that contains no induced path on six vertices and no bull (the graph with vertices a, b, c, d, e and edges ab, bc, cd, be, ce) is 4-colorable. We also show that for any…

The complexity of {\sc Colouring} is fully understood for $H$-free graphs, but there are still major complexity gaps if two induced subgraphs $H_1$ and $H_2$ are forbidden. Let $H_1$ be the $s$-vertex cycle $C_s$ and $H_2$ be the $t$-vertex…

The class of graphs that do not contain an induced path on $k$ vertices, $P_k$-free graphs, plays a prominent role in algorithmic graph theory. This motivates the search for special structural properties of $P_k$-free graphs, including…

We consider Colouring on graphs that are $H$-subgraph-free for some fixed graph $H$, which are graphs that do not contain $H$ as a subgraph. To classify the complexity of Colouring on $H$-subgraph-free graphs for connected $H$, it remains…

For $k\geq 1$, a $k$-colouring $c$ of $G$ is a mapping from $V(G)$ to $\{1,2,\ldots,k\}$ such that $c(u)\neq c(v)$ for any two non-adjacent vertices $u$ and $v$. The $k$-Colouring problem is to decide if a graph $G$ has a $k$-colouring. For…

Determining the complexity of colouring ($4K_1, C_4$)-free graph is a long open problem. Recently Penev showed that there is a polynomial-time algorithm to colour a ($4K_1, C_4, C_6$)-free graph. In this paper, we will prove that if $G$ is…

This is the first paper in a series whose goal is to give a polynomial time algorithm for the $4$-coloring problem and the $4$-precoloring extension problem restricted to the class of graphs with no induced six-vertex path, thus proving a…

A graph $G$ is $k$-vertex-critical if $\chi(G) = k$ but $\chi(G-v)<k$ for all $v \in V(G)$. A graph is $(H_1,H_2)$-free if it contains no induced subgraph isomorphic to $H_1$ nor $H_2$. A $W_4$ is the graph consisting of a $C_4$ plus an…