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Weisfeiler-Leman on graphs of small twin-width

Published: January 9, 2026 | arXiv ID: 2601.05892v1

By: Irene Heinrich , Moritz Lichter , Klara Pakhomenko and more

Potential Business Impact:

Solves a hard computer puzzle for certain shapes.

Business Areas:
A/B Testing Data and Analytics

Twin-width is a graph parameter introduced in the context of first-order model checking, and has since become a central parameter in algorithmic graph theory. While many algorithmic problems become easier on arbitrary classes of bounded twin-width, graph isomorphism on graphs of twin-width 4 and above is as hard as the general isomorphism problem. For each positive number $k$, the $k$-dimensional Weisfeiler-Leman algorithm is an iterative color refinement algorithm that encodes structural similarities and serves as a fundamental tool for distinguishing non-isomorphic graphs. We show that the graph isomorphism problem for graphs of twin-width 1 can be solved by the purely combinatorial 3-dimensional Weisfeiler-Leman algorithm, while there is no fixed $k$ such that the $k$-dimensional Weisfeiler-Leman algorithm solves the graph isomorphism problem for graphs of twin-width 4. Moreover, we prove the conjecture of Bergougnoux, Gajarský, Guspiel, Hlinený, Pokrývka, and Sokolowski that stable graphs of twin-width 2 have bounded rank-width. This in particular implies that isomorphism of these graphs can be decided by a fixed dimension of the Weisfeiler-Leman algorithm.

Page Count
46 pages

Category
Mathematics:
Combinatorics