A Helly theorem for geodesic convexity in strongly dismantlable graphs (Q1893169)

A graph \(G\) is strongly dismantlable if there is a well-ordering \(\leq\) on \(V(G)\) with a greatest element \(m\) such that for every vertex \(x\neq m\), there is a strictly increasing finite sequence \(x= x_0<\cdots< x_n= m\) where, for \(0\leq i< n\), the vertex \(x_i\) is dominated by \(x_{i+ 1}\) in the subgraph of \(G\) induced by the set \(\{z\in V(G): x_i\leq z\}\). The main result proved by the author is that if a graph \(G\) is strongly dismantlable and its clique number \(\omega(G)\) is finite, then the Helly number \(h(G)\) for the geodesic convexity of graph \(G\) is equal to \(\omega(G)\). This is a generalization of a result by \textit{H.-J. Bandelt} and \textit{H. M. Mulder} [Topics in combinatorics and graph theory. Essays in honour of Gerhard Ringel, 65-71 (1990; Zbl 0697.05034)].