Talk:Rook polynomial

Games or math?
I propose to remove the category tag "Combinatorial game theory". My reason: That tag is appropriate to articles that use combinatorics to treat games. This article, on the contrary, uses one aspect of the chess game to facilitate math. From the math viewpoint, it's merely a coincidence that chess has a rook. The reason for continuing interest in rook polynomials (despite the way the article is written) is not due to chess, but to the connection with permutations.

(In that connection, the definition of a rook polynomial is too narrow. I will deal with this later.)

For the same reason I would remove "Recreational mathematics". Besides, the latter contains "Chess and mathematics" as a subcategory.

I would not remove "Chess and mathematics" because, even if it might be regarded as a coincidence, the article, plainly, does connect chess and mathematics.

The other categories are Generating functions | Enumerative combinatorics | Polynomials | Factorial and binomial topics | Permutations. All are strictly mathematical topics that are closely connected to the reasons for interest in rook polynomials.

Any opinions? Zaslav (talk) 21:38, 24 January 2010 (UTC)


 * Done. Zaslav (talk) 00:47, 25 January 2010 (UTC)


 * Ironic, automatically(bot done) the chess project template was added because the article is in a chess category. Regards, SunCreator (talk) 16:42, 17 March 2010 (UTC)

Further development
I created this article but am not satisfied with its present state for which I blame entirely myself. It contains too many specific examples and too little general theory. For example, there is almost nothing about the generating function: where it comes from (principle of inclusion-exclusion, Latin and Graeco-Latin rectangles), what is its more general class, what are the hit and associated rook polynomials, the most general theorem for all cases, including restricted positions, connection with the respective distribution as a moment generating function, etc.

I intend to return back and write these more mathematical (combinatorial) sections. Any help is welcome! Lantonov (talk) 14:20, 3 September 2020 (UTC)