Skip to main content
Log in

A finite step algorithm via a bimatrix game to a single controller non-zero sum stochastic game

  • Published:
Mathematical Programming Submit manuscript

Abstract

Given a non-zero sum discounted stochastic game with finitely many states and actions one can form a bimatrix game whose pure strategies are the pure stationary strategies of the players and whose penalty payoffs consist of the total discounted costs over all states at any pure stationary pair. It is shown that any Nash equilibrium point of this bimatrix game can be used to find a Nash equilibrium point of the stochastic game whenever the law of motion is controlled by one player. The theorem is extended to undiscounted stochastic games with irreducible transitions when the law of motion is controlled by one player. Examples are worked out to illustrate the algorithm proposed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. D. Blackwell, “Discrete dynamic programming,”Annals of Mathematical Statistics 33 (1962) 719–726.

    Google Scholar 

  2. J.A. Filar, “Ordered field property for stochastic games when the player who controls transition changes from state to state,”Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications 34 (1981) 503–513.

    Google Scholar 

  3. J.A. Filar, “On stationary equilibria of a single-controller stochastic game,”Mathematical Programming 30 (1984) 313–325.

    Google Scholar 

  4. J.A. Filar and T.E.S. Raghavan, “A matrix game solution of a single controller stochastic game,”Mathematics of Operations Research 9 (1984) 356–362.

    Google Scholar 

  5. A.M. Fink, “Equilibrium in a stochasticn-person game,”Journal of Science of Hiroshima University, Series, A-I 28 (1964) 89–93.

    Google Scholar 

  6. D. Gillette, “Stochastic games with zero stop probabilities,” in:Contributions to the Theory of Games III. Annals of Mathematical Studies No. 39 (Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 1957) pp. 179–187.

    Google Scholar 

  7. A. Hordijk and L.C.M. Kallenberg, “Linear programming and Markov games I, II,” in: O. Moeschlin and D. Pallaschke, eds.,Game Theory and Mathematical Economics (North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1981).

    Google Scholar 

  8. T. Parthasarathy and T.E.S. Raghavan,Some Topics in Two-Person Games (American Elsevier Publishing Corporation, New York, 1971).

    Google Scholar 

  9. T. Parthasarathy and T.E.S. Raghavan, “An orderfield property for stochastic games when one player controls transition probabilities,”Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications 33 (1981) 375–392.

    Google Scholar 

  10. T.E.S. Raghavan and J.A. Filar, “Algorithms for stochastic games—a survey,” to appear in:Zeitschrift fur Operations Research.

  11. S.M. Ross, “Non-discounted denumerable Markovian decision models,”Annals of Mathematical Statistics 39 (1968) 412–423.

    Google Scholar 

  12. L.S. Shapley, “Stochastic games,”Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S.A. 39 (1953) 1095–1100.

    Google Scholar 

  13. M.J. Sobel, “Noncooperative stochastic games,”Annals of Mathematical Statistics 42 (1971) 1930–1935.

    Google Scholar 

  14. M. Takahashi, “Equilibrium points of stochastic noncooperativen-person games,”Journal of Science of Hiroshima University, Series A-I 28 (1964) 95–99.

    Google Scholar 

  15. O.J. Vrieze, “Linear programming and undiscounted stochastic games in which one player controls transitions,”OR Spektrum 3 (1981) 29–35.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

The work of this author was supported in part by the NSF grants DMS-9024408 and DMS 8802260.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Nowak, A.S., Raghavan, T.E.S. A finite step algorithm via a bimatrix game to a single controller non-zero sum stochastic game. Mathematical Programming 59, 249–259 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01581246

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01581246

Key words

Navigation