The Territorial Raider Game and Graph Derangements

Abstract

A derangement of a graph $G=(V,E)$ is an injective function $f:V\to V$ such that for all $v\in V$, $f(v)\ne v$ and $(v,f(v))\in E$. Not all graphs admit a derangement and previous results have characterized graphs with derangements using neighborhood conditions for subsets of $V$. We establish an alternative criterion for the existence of derangements on a graph. We analyze strict Nash equilibria of the biologically motivated Territorial Raider Game, a multi-player competition for resources in a spatially structured population based on animal raiding and defending behavior. We find that a graph $G$ admits a derangement if and only if there is a strict Nash equilibrium of the Territorial Raider game on $G$.