Vladimir Fedoseev – The "Bigfish" of Aggressive Chess

Vladimir Fedoseev is a Super Grandmaster born in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1995. In 2023, he transferred to the Slovenian Chess Federation and now leads their national team.

"Bigfish" is his famous online username. The chess world adopted it as his nickname because it perfectly describes his presence at the board: a large, dangerous predator who dominates complex waters.

He is a two-time World Rapid Championship Silver Medalist (2017 in Riyadh and 2023 in Samarkand). He also won the 2017 Aeroflot Open, qualifying him for the elite Dortmund tournament where he finished second.

Fedoseev has a unique "aggressive grinder" style. Unlike positional grinders who bore you to death, Fedoseev creates maximum chaos and tension, then uses his superior calculation and willpower to grind out a win in the complications.

Yes. His most famous victory came at the 2024 Chess Olympiad in Budapest, where he defeated World #1 Magnus Carlsen with the Black pieces in a complex game.

Fedoseev abhors short draws. He will often play risky, double-edged moves just to keep the game alive, trusting his ability to navigate the storm better than his opponent.

His instinctual style is perfectly suited for Rapid chess. Winning Silver twice (2017, 2023) proves he is consistently one of the top 5 speed players on the planet.

Defeating the World #1 at the 2024 Olympiad cemented his status as a giant killer. He navigated a complex endgame to secure the point for Slovenia.

After leaving Russia, he became the clear #1 player for Slovenia, revitalizing their national team and leading them on Board 1 at the Olympiad.

With Black, he is a leading expert in the Caro-Kann Defense. However, he interprets it aggressively, often unbalancing the position rather than just playing for solidity.

Winning the Aeroflot Open is considered one of the hardest tasks in chess due to the depth of the field. Fedoseev dominated the event to qualify for the elite circuit.

He crossed the elite 2700 rating barrier in 2017 and has remained a fixture in the world's top 30-50 players.

Even in lost positions, Fedoseev sets traps. His "swindle" rate is incredibly high because he never stops posing practical problems.

As "Bigfish," he is a legend of online chess, regularly winning Titled Tuesdays and competing in the Champions Chess Tour against the world's best.

When he needs a win with Black, he turns to the Sicilian Najdorf, embracing the sharpest theoretical lines to create imbalances.

In his super-tournament debut at Dortmund 2017, he shocked the world by finishing 2nd, ahead of stars like Kramnik (whom he defeated).

He is not afraid to play sideline openings like the Dutch Defense or 1.b3 if it means getting a fresh position where he can outplay his opponent.

His "grinder" style requires immense physical energy. He often wins games in the 5th or 6th hour of play when opponents are exhausted.

He was trained by former FIDE World Champion Alexander Khalifman, combining classic St. Petersburg schooling with modern dynamism.

Whether playing Carlsen, Caruana, or Nakamura, Fedoseev does not play for a draw. He challenges them directly, which leads to spectacular games.

He reached the Semi-Finals of the 2021 FIDE World Cup, securing his spot in the prestigious FIDE Grand Prix series.

Even when not playing the KID, he channels its spirit—attacking on the kingside and sacrificing material for initiative.

He travels the world playing in open tournaments, leagues, and elite events, embodying the life of a true chess professional.

He excels in endgames with non-standard material imbalances (e.g., Rook vs two minor pieces), where intuition matters more than theory.

His refusal to play boring chess has made him a favorite among spectators who want to see blood on the board.