Aleksey Grebnev

Overview

Aleksey Nikolaevich Grebnev is a Russian chess grandmaster born on July 26, 2006, who competes internationally under the neutral FIDE flag. He achieved the FIDE Master (FM) title in 2021, the International Master (IM) title in 2022, and was awarded the Grandmaster (GM) title in 2024. Grebnev reached a career-high classical FIDE rating of 2632 in December 2025, which placed him inside the world's top 100 players. His main competitive identity is that of a dominant junior champion and strong tournament player, highlighted by back-to-back continental and world junior titles and a deep knockout run at the FIDE World Cup.

Biography & Major Career Milestones

Aleksey Grebnev began playing chess at the age of six. He developed his game at the Togliatti Chess School under the guidance of coach Dmitry Afanasiev, and has also trained under the elite grandmaster Maxim Matlakov.

Grebnev first established himself as a dominant force in junior chess in September 2023, when he won the Open section of the Tata Steel Asian Junior Championship in Jamshedpur, scoring 7/9 and clinching the title by defeating Alekhya Mukhopadhyay in the final round. Two months later, in November 2023, he captured the World Youth Chess Championship Under-18 title in Montesilvano, Italy, with a round to spare. He secured the gold medal in the penultimate round after defeating Prraneeth Vuppala. Following his junior achievements, he was officially awarded the Grandmaster title by FIDE in early 2024. He followed this up in October 2024 by defending his continental junior supremacy, winning the Open section of the Asian Junior Championship after securing the sole lead in the third round and holding it to the end.

In 2025, Grebnev transitioned successfully into open elite tournaments. In June 2025, he won the Dubai Open on tiebreaks over GM Alan Pichot with a score of 7/9. The following month, in July 2025, he won the Oskemen Open, again scoring 7/9 and finishing ahead of GM Richard Rapport on tiebreaks. In October 2025, he qualified for the 2025 FIDE World Cup in Goa, India, by defeating GM Marc'Andria Maurizzi. At the World Cup, he produced a highly impressive run, reaching the fifth round (round of 16). He defeated Daniel Quizon, David Navara, Stamatis Kourkoulos-Arditis, and elite grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, before finally being knocked out by compatriot Andrey Esipenko.

Playing Style, Material Tendencies & Endgame Profiling

At the board, Grebnev is defined by a patient, positional, and highly structured style. He rarely rushes or forces positions, preferring to accumulate small, incremental advantages. His technical capacity to manage risk and maintain control in the endgame is a hallmark of his play, which he demonstrated in his precise technical victory over Ilamparthi A R at the 2023 World Youth Championship.

Despite his positional leanings, Grebnev is a precise concrete calculator under pressure. His tactical resourcefulness and willingness to execute high-stakes material sacrifices when justified are exemplified by his pivotal queen sacrifice in the tenth round of the 2023 World Youth Championship against Prraneeth Vuppala. He is robust in defensive positions, showing excellent defensive patience and the ability to find narrow path-to-draw resources in slightly worse or passive endgames.

Opening Repertoire & Theoretical Move Orders

1. As White

Grebnev’s primary white weapon is 1.d4, though he also frequently employs 1.Nf3 and 1.c4 setups to steer games into positional waters.

• In the Queen's Gambit Declined, he relies heavily on solid Exchange variations to play for a structural advantage:
• Against the Nimzo-Indian, he typically opts for positional 4.e3 lines:
• In Reti structures, he favors fianchetto setups to slowly build positional pressure:
• When opening with 1.e4, he prefers to navigate Sicilian lines through positional avenues rather than sharp mainlines, such as utilizing the g3 variation:

2. As Black

As Black, Grebnev is highly solid and favors theoretically sound, resilient setups.

• Against 1.e4, his primary defense is the Petroff Defense, using it to absorb white's pressure and seek symmetric equality:
• When seeking more asymmetric counterplay against 1.e4, he plays the Sicilian Najdorf:
• Against 1.d4, he typically implements the solid Nimzo-Indian Defense:
• Alternatively, he employs the King's Indian Defense to create dynamic, complex positions:

Links

• FIDE: https://ratings.fide.com/profile/34189030
• Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleksey_Grebnev