Alexey Dreev – The Rapid Master

Alexey Dreev is a top Russian Grandmaster who emerged as a star in the late 1980s. He was a double World Under-16 Champion and became a Grandmaster in 1989.

He is best known for his incredible "board sight"—the ability to calculate variations instantly. This makes him one of the world's best rapid and blitz players.

He won the prestigious Biel Grandmaster Tournament and Wijk aan Zee (Tata Steel) tournament in 1995. He also holds three Olympic Gold medals with the Russian team.

Dreev's style is active and positional. He prefers sound structures like the Caro-Kann and Nimzo-Indian but navigates complications with machine-like precision.

Yes, Dreev is a respected chess author and theorist. His books, such as "My One Hundred Best Games" and "Attacking the Caro-Kann," are classics of modern theory.

Dreev is one of the world's leading authorities on the Caro-Kann Defense (1.e4 c6). He has played it with Black his entire life and written books on how to beat it with White.

Even in classical games, Dreev often plays quickly, putting immense pressure on his opponents' clocks. In Rapid events, he is a feared competitor.

He was one of the most famous students of the legendary trainer Mark Dvoretsky, who praised Dreev's natural talent as equal to Anand's.

He was a key member of the Russian "Dream Team" in the 1990s, winning Gold at the Chess Olympiads in Manila (1992), Moscow (1994), and Yerevan (1996).

In the mid-1990s, Dreev was ranked as high as #11 in the world, establishing himself as an elite Super Grandmaster.

He qualified for the Candidates Matches in 1991, where he faced Viswanathan Anand in the quarterfinals.

Proving his longevity and speed skills, he won the European Rapid Championship in 2012, decades after his junior titles.

In the Semi-Slav Defense, Dreev is a specialist in the chaotic Moscow Variation, often finding new ideas in complex positions.

Typical of the Soviet School, his endgame technique is flawless. He famously wins "drawn" rook endgames through pure persistence.

He revived the Cozio Defense in the Ruy Lopez (3...Nge7), showing that it is a playable and tricky alternative to the main lines.

For over 30 years, Dreev has maintained a rating over 2600 (often 2700+), showing remarkable consistency in an ever-changing game.

His solid style and rapid skills made him very dangerous in the FIDE Knockout World Championship tournaments of the late 90s and early 2000s.

He is a FIDE Senior Trainer and has coached other top Grandmasters, passing on his deep theoretical knowledge.

He has scored victories against World Champions including Vishy Anand, Veselin Topalov, and Ruslan Ponomariov.

While tactically sharp, he enjoys "squeezing" opponents in closed positions, much like Karpov.

He was one of the first GMs to effectively integrate computer preparation into his opening repertoire in the 1990s.

He rarely accepts damaged pawn structures without concrete compensation, adhering to classical principles.

With White, he is a dedicated 1.d4 player, preferring main lines in the Queen's Gambit and Nimzo-Indian.

Known as a consummate professional, always well-prepared and fighting until the very last pawn.

Dreev serves as a bridge between the classical Soviet School and the modern computer era of chess.