Born in Nizhnevartovsk, Russia, Petrov showed an early inclination for chess. At the age of 10, he finished in 2nd place at the Russia U10 Championship in 2007 and 1st place at the Russia U10 Blitz Championship in the same year. These early successes were followed by more accolades and significant wins that helped him shape his career in chess.
In 2012, Petrov won the Russian U15 Championship, the European School Chess Championship U15, and the World School Chess Championship U15. He also made impressive runs at the World Junior Chess Championship and European Youth Chess Championship, finishing 4th in 2012 and 5th in 2013.
Petrov's breakthrough moment came in 2016 when he finished in first place at the Vladimir Dvorkovich Cup and Shared 1st at the Chigorin Memorial in the same year. These victories contributed significantly to his path on becoming a grandmaster in 2017.
He finished as a runner-up at the 2018 Russian Rapid Grand Prix and placed 9th in the 2020 Russian Championship Superfinal which is one of the strongest national chess championships in the world.
In addition to his chess career, Petrov graduated with a degree in programming from the Ugra State University in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. Despite his academic achievements, he has expressed his desire to continue pursuing his professional chess career.