Title: Having fun with polynomials: semialgebraic games and SOS/SDP
Speaker: Pablo A. Parrilo (MIT)

Abstract:

We'll discuss a class of two-person zero-sum games with an infinite 
number of pure strategies, where the payoff function is a polynomial 
expression of the actions of the players. We show that the value of the game, 
and the corresponding optimal strategies, can be exactly computed via sum of 
squares (SOS) and semidefinite programming (SDP) techniques. In addition, 
we show how the results extend, with suitable modifications, to a general 
class of semialgebraic games, and problems with two quantifiers. 
The talk will be mostly self-contained.