A Game of Edge Removal on Graphs

Robert P. Gallant1, Georg Gunther2, Bert L. Hartnell3, Douglas F. Rall4
1The University of Waterloo, Canada
2Sir Wilfred Grenfell College Memorial University of Newfoundland Corner Brook, Newfoundland A2H 6P9
3Saint Mary’s University Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 3C3
4Furman University Greenville, SC 29613 USA

Abstract

Two players are presented with a finite, simple graph \( G = (V, E) \) that has no isolated vertices. They take turns deleting an edge from the graph in such a way that no isolated vertex is created. The winner is the last player able to remove an edge. We analyze this game when the graph \(G\) is a path of arbitrary length. In addition, some observations are made in the situation that the graph has an automorphism of a special type.