A note on class one graphs with maximum degree six (Q2497484)

A simple graph \(G=(V, E)\) is called class one if its edge chromatic number \(\chi_e(G)\) equals its maximum vertex degree \(\Delta(G)\) and is called class two, otherwise. (By Vizing's theorem, \(\chi_e(G) = \Delta(G)+1\), in this case.) Vizing's planar graph conjecture states that every planar graph with \(\Delta=6\) or \(7\) is class one. While the case \(\Delta = 7\) has been settled, this paper refines the \(\Delta=6\) case, by identifying 3 families of class one graphs, namely: \(C_3\)-free graphs which are embeddable in a surface with Euler characteristic at least \(-3\), \(C_4\)-free graphs which are embeddable in a surface with Euler characteristic at least \(-3\), \(C_5\)-free graphs which are embeddable in a surface with Euler characteristic at least \(-1\).