A counterexample to a conjecture on facial unique-maximal colorings

Abstract

<p>A facial unique-maximum coloring of a plane graph is a proper vertex coloring by natural numbers where on each face α the maximal color appears exactly once on the vertices of α. Fabrici and Göring [4] proved that six colors are enough for any plane graph and conjectured that four colors suffice. This conjecture is a strengthening of the Four Color theorem. Wendland [6] later decreased the upper bound from six to five. In this note, we disprove the conjecture by giving an infinite family of counterexamples. s we conclude that facial unique-maximum chromatic number of the sphere is five.</p>