Teammates at GCL now, Candidates rivals soon: How Praggnanandhaa, Anish Giri, and Fabiano Caruana are co-existing at Alpine SG Pipers

Chess

Praggnanandhaa, Anish Giri, and Fabiano Caruana talk about the strange dynamic they share as part of Alpine SG Pipers in the GCL, knowing fully well that they will soon be facing off in the Candidates, where only finishing first matters.

When Praggnanandhaa, Anish Giri, and Fabiano Caruana are not playing chess for their franchise in the Global Chess League, they’ve been indulging in a bit of poker between themselves. Not literally, but in the way they interact with each other.

Right now, they are teammates playing for a common goal: to win GCL with their franchise, Alpine SG Pipers. But once the league ends on December 23, and the colourful jerseys come off, the trio will slip into their usual battle armour of power suits and switch to looking at each other as rivals. After all, Pragg, Giri, and Caruana will be fighting it out in the eight-man Candidates tournament from March 28 to April 16.