A game of cops and robbers

Let G be a finite connected graph. Two players, called cop C and robber R, play a game on G according to the following rules. First C then R occupy some vertex of G. After that they move alternately along edges of G. The cop C wins if he succeeds in putting himself on top of the robber R, otherwise R wins. We review an algorithmic characterization and structural description due to Nowakowski and Winkler. Then we consider the general situation where n cops chase the robber. It is shown that there are graphs on which arbitrarily many cops are needed to catch the robber. In contrast to this result, we prove that for planar graphs 3 cops always suffice to win.