Born in Izhevsk, Russia, Sychev learned to play chess at an early age from his grandfather. He was also trained by a local chess coach named Ivan Kugayevsky. Sychev's chess career began to take off in 2008 when he won his first significant tournament, the Under-13 World Youth Championships conducted by FIDE.

In 2013, he won the Russian Youth Championships for players aged under 18. During the same year, he achieved his International Master Status from FIDE and became the Russian National Student Chess Champion.

Sychev continued to participate in several national and international tournaments subsequently. He achieved significant success in the Chigorin Memorial 2015, Aeroflot Open 2017, and Russian Championships Superfinal 2017. He gained his Grandmaster title in 2017.

Apart from his chess career, he studies at Udmurt State University in Izhevsk, Russia. his hobbies include cycling, running, and reading.