A two-function minimax theorem (Q5906594)

The author gives an analytic formulation of \textit{S. Simons'} upward and downward conditions [Arch. Math. 55, No. 3, 275-279 (1990; Zbl 0717.49008)], and obtains the following two-function minimax result (Theorem 1): Let \(f,g: X\times Y\to R\) and let \(\delta_ i\in \Delta\), \(i=1,2\). If \(f(x,y)\leq g(x,y)\) for all \(x,y\in X\times Y\), \((f,g)\) is finitely \(\delta_ 1\)-upward on \(Y\), and \((f,g)\) is \(\delta_ 2\)-downward on \(X\), then for any finite subset \(F\) of \(X\) we have that \(\inf_ Y \sup_ F f(x,y)\leq \sup_ X \inf_ Y g(x,y)\). Under the additional hypotheses that \(Y\) is compact and for all \(x\in X\), \(f(x,\cdot)\) and \(g(x, \cdot)\) are lower semicontinuous on \(Y\), we have the stronger conclusion that \[ \inf_ Y \sup_ X f(x,y)\leq \sup_ X \inf_ Y g(x,y). \] (Herein \(X\), \(Y\) are nonempty sets and \(\Delta= \{\delta\): \(\mathbb{R}^ 2\to \mathbb{R}\mid \delta(x,x) =0\), \(\forall x\in \mathbb{R}\), \(\inf_{| x-y |\geq a} \delta(x,y)>0\), \(\forall a>0\})\).