A fast algorithm for the maximum clique problem

Given a graph, in the maximum clique problem, one desires to find the largest number of vertices, any two of which are adjacent. A branch-and-bound algorithm for the maximum clique problem--which is computationally equivalent to the maximum independent (stable) set problem--is presented with the vertex order taken from a coloring of the vertices and with a new pruning strategy. The algorithm performs successfully for many instances when applied to random graphs and DIMACS benchmark graphs.