Extensions of maps to the projective plane (Q813184)

A classical result of Extension Dimension Theory asserts that a finite-dimensional metric compact space \(X\) has extension dimension \(\text{e-dim}\,X\leq M\) for a simply-connected CW-complex \(M\) if and only if the cohomological dimension \(\dim_{H_i(M)}X\leq i\) for all \(i>1\). Recently, this result was extended to nilpotent CW-complexes \(M\) by [\textit{M. Cencelj} and \textit{A. V. N. Dranishnikov}, Topology Appl. 153, No. 2--3, 208--212 (2005; Zbl 1092.55001)]. The real projective plane \(\mathbb RP^2\) is the simplest CW-complex which is not covered by Cencelj-Dranishnikov's result and an open problem in Extension Dimension Theory asks whether \(\dim_{\mathbb Z_2}X\leq 1\) implies \(\text{e-dim}X\leq \mathbb RP^2\) for a finite-dimensional compactum \(X\). In the paper under review the authors prove that this is so provided \(\dim(X)\leq 3\). This result has an equivalent reformulation: \(\text{e-dim}\,X\leq\mathbb RP^3\) implies \(\text{e-dim}\,X\leq\mathbb RP^2\) for every finite-dimensional compactum \(X\). The authors ask if the latter implication still holds for all, perhaps infinite-dimensional, compacta \(X\).