Rank Reduction in Bimatrix Games

03/31/2019

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by   Joseph L. Heyman, et al.

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The rank of a bimatrix game is defined as the rank of the sum of the payoff matrices of the two players. Under certain conditions on the payoff matrices, we devise a method that reduces the rank of the game without changing the equilibrium of the game. We leverage matrix pencil theory and Wedderburn rank reduction formula to arrive at our results. We also present a constructive proof of the fact that in a generic square game, the rank of the game can be reduced by 1, and in generic rectangular game, the rank of the game can be reduced by 2 under certain assumptions.