Embedding grids in surfaces

Abstract

We show that if a very large grid is embedded in a surface, then a large subgrid is embedded in a disc in the surface. This readily implies that: (a) a minor-minimal graph that does not embed in a given surface has no very large grid; and (b) a minor-minimal k-representative embedding in the surface has no very large grid. Similar arguments show (c) that if G is minimal with respect to crossing number, then G has no very large grid. This work is a refinement of Thomassen (J. Combin. Theory Ser. B 70 (1997) 306).