even_level: title/abstract/intro -- frame conjecture as stronger than the 4CT

Retitle to "Even Level Graph Generators: a constructive conjecture
stronger than the Four Color Theorem" and state explicitly in the
abstract and introduction that the conjecture implies the four color
theorem but is strictly stronger: a 4-coloring grouped {1,2}|{3,4} is
exactly a partition into two bipartite-inducing parts, so 4CT is the bare
existence of such a partition, whereas the conjecture demands it be
realized constructively (bridge-switch level parity, or two induced
trees). Hence a proof is a new constructive proof of 4CT, and the
conjecture is at least as hard -- very likely harder.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
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\begin{document}
\title{Even Level Graph Generators}
\title[Even Level Graph Generators]{Even Level Graph Generators:\\
a constructive conjecture stronger than the Four Color Theorem}
% Remove any unused author tags.
@@ -93,9 +94,14 @@ $2$-coloring of an Even Level Graph. The second family is the
sets each inducing a tree, which are $4$-colorable by coloring the two
trees from disjoint pairs of colors. We conjecture that every maximal
planar graph is a bridge-derived level graph, an intertwining tree, or
both; since both families are $4$-colorable by construction, the
conjecture would give a constructive proof of the four color theorem for
triangulations, and hence for all planar graphs. We show that a
both. Since both families are $4$-colorable by construction, the
conjecture implies the four color theorem for triangulations, and hence
for all planar graphs; in fact it is \emph{strictly stronger}, demanding
not merely that a $4$-coloring exist but that every triangulation be
assembled by one of these two explicit constructions. A proof would
therefore be a new, constructive proof of the four color theorem -- and
correspondingly the conjecture is at least as hard, and very likely
harder, than that theorem. We show that a
triangulation is an intertwining tree exactly when its dual is
Hamiltonian, so every triangulation on at most $20$ vertices is an
intertwining tree and the first possible failures occur at $n = 21$, at
@@ -153,7 +159,25 @@ Our central question is whether these two families exhaust all
triangulations
(Conjecture~\ref{conj:every-triangulation-derived}). As both families
consist of $4$-colorable graphs, an affirmative answer would constitute a
constructive proof of the four color theorem for triangulations.
constructive proof of the four color theorem for triangulations, and
hence for all planar graphs.
We emphasize that the conjecture is a \emph{stronger} statement than the
four color theorem, not an equivalent reformulation of it. A proper
$4$-coloring with its colors grouped as $\{1,2\}\mid\{3,4\}$ is exactly a
partition of the vertices into two parts each inducing a bipartite
subgraph, so the four color theorem is precisely the assertion that every
triangulation admits such a partition. The conjecture asserts strictly
more: that the partition can be realized \emph{constructively} -- as the
level parity of an Even Level Graph reached by bridge switches, or as a
split into two induced \emph{trees}. The four color theorem alone supplies
neither construction; bridge-derivability in particular is a reachability
condition well beyond the bare existence of a $4$-coloring, so the
conjecture implies the four color theorem but is not implied by it.
A proof would accordingly be a new, constructive proof of the four color
theorem, and the conjecture is at least as hard to settle -- and, absent
any structural characterization of the bridge-derived family, very likely
harder.
We connect the two constructions through duality: a triangulation is an
intertwining tree if and only if its dual is Hamiltonian