A simple inequality involving the number of components in an arbitrary graph becomes an equality precisely when the graph is chordal. This leads to a mechanism by which any graph parameter, if always at least as large as the number of components, corresponds to a subfamily of chordal graphs. As an example, the domination number corresponds to the well-studied family of \(P_4, C_4\)-free graphs.
Citation
Terry A. McKee. An Inequality Characterizing Chordal Graphs[J], Ars Combinatoria, Volume 051. 121-127. .