Gröbner-Shirshov Bases for Plactic Algebras

A finite Gröbner-Shirshov basis is constructed for the plactic algebra of rank 3 over a field K. It is also shown that plactic algebras of rank exceeding 3 do not have finite Gröbner-Shirshov bases associated to the natural degree-lexicographic ordering on the corresponding free algebra. The latter is in contrast with the case of a strongly related class of algebras, called Chinese algebras.