Triangulations and the Hajós conjecture (Q5921669)

Hajós conjecture claims that every graph whose chromatic number is at least \(k\) contains a subdivision of \(K_k\), the complete graph of order \(k\). The conjecture has been proved for \(k\leq4\) by \textit{G. A. Dirac} [J. Lond. Math. Soc. 27, 85--92 (1952; Zbl 0046.41001)] and was disproved for all \(k\geq7\) by \textit{P. A. Catlin} [J. Comb. Theory, Ser. B 26, 268--274 (1979; Zbl 0385.05033)]. Recently, \textit{C. Thomassen} [J. Comb. Theory, Ser. B 93, 95--105 (2005; Zbl 1061.05040)] showed that there are many ways that Hajós conjecture can go wrong. He also observed that locally planar graphs and triangulations of the projective plane and the torus satisfy Hajós conjecture. He conjectured that the same holds for arbitrary triangulations of closed surfaces. In the paper under review the author disproved the conjecture and showed that there are different reasons why the Hajós conjecture fails also for triangulations.