Online Ramsey numbers of ordered paths and cycles

Abstract

An ordered graph is a graph with a linear ordering on its vertices. The online Ramsey game for ordered graphs $G$ and $H$ is played on an infinite sequence of vertices; on each turn, Builder draws an edge between two vertices, and Painter colors it red or blue. Builder tries to create a red $G$ or a blue $H$ as quickly as possible, while Painter wants the opposite. The online ordered Ramsey number $r_o(G,H)$ is the number of turns the game lasts with optimal play. In this paper, we consider the behavior of $r_o(G,P_n)$ for fixed $G$, where $P_n$ is the monotone ordered path. We prove an $O(n \log_2n)$ bound on $r_o(G,P_n)$ for all $G$ and an $O(n)$ bound when $G$ is $3$-ichromatic; we partially classify graphs $G$ with $r_o(G,P_n) = n + O(1)$. Many of these results extend to $r_o(G,C_n)$, where $C_n$ is an ordered cycle obtained from $P_n$ by adding one edge.