A gap theorem for Lusternik-Schnirelmann \(\pi_1\)-category (Q1292724)

Recall that the Lyusternik-Shnirel'man \(\pi_1\)-category, \(\text{cat}_{\pi_1}X\), of a topological space \(X\) is the least integer \(n\) such that \(X\) can be covered by \(n+1\) open subsets \(U_0, \dots, U_n\), every loop in each of which is contractible in \(X\). This paper contains the following interesting gap result: For any closed connected \(n\)-dimensional manifold \(M^n\) the relation \(\text{cat}_{\pi_1} M^n\neq n-1\) holds (Theorem 3). As a corollary of this theorem the authors obtain that the \(\pi_1\)-category of a compact Kähler surface \(S\) is even (Theorem 8).