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arXiv · 2609.08658

Cayley Tournaments Simultaneously Critical for the Clique and Dichromatic Numbers

Guantao Chen·Shengze Wang
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Abstract

For a tournament $T$, let $\omega(T)$ be the minimum clique number among the backedge graphs of $T$, and let $\chi(T)$ be its dichromatic number. We give a template-lifting construction. It turns a $k$-template into a regular, vertex-transitive Cayley tournament that is simultaneously $(k+1)$-$\omega$-critical and $(k+1)$-$\chi$-critical. The output is also a $(k+1)$-template. Iterating the construction, we prove that for every $k\geq3$, there is a positive even integer $m_k$ with the following property. Every $N>1$ with $N\equiv1\pmod{m_k}$ is the order of a regular, vertex-transitive Cayley tournament that is simultaneously $k$-$\omega$-critical and $k$-$\chi$-critical. This proves a conjecture of Aboulker, Aubian, Charbit, and Lopes and gives a negative answer to their bounded-certificate question when the hypothesis is $\omega(T)\geq k$. We also find the clique number of a cyclic substitution when each block satisfies $\omega=\chi$. We then describe exactly when this substitution is $\omega$-critical if the blocks are $\chi$-critical and satisfy $\omega=\chi$.

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Guantao Chen, Shengze Wang. 2026-09-08. Cayley Tournaments Simultaneously Critical for the Clique and Dichromatic Numbers. https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.08658

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