Problem

Source: Baltic Way 2016, Problem 15

Tags: combinatorics



The Baltic Sea has $2016$ harbours. There are two-way ferry connections between some of them. It is impossible to make a sequence of direct voyages $C_1 - C_2 - ... - C_{1062}$ where all the harbours $C_1, . . . , C_{1062}$ are distinct. Prove that there exist two disjoint sets $A$ and $B$ of $477$ harbours each, such that there is no harbour in $A$ with a direct ferry connection to a harbour in $B.$