Completing his University of Moscow engineering/economics qualification in 1983, he worked as an economist until 1986 and followed this with two years of military service in the Soviet Army.

He is perhaps most commonly known for his contributions to the New In Chess (NIC) series of opening surveys and also the Secrets Of Opening Surprises series of books (also published by NIC), which fall under the general editorship of Jeroen Bosch.

Notable too, were his second place at Cappelle-la-Grande 1998 and joint second at the 9th Ordix Open (behind Viktor Bologan), a rapid chess event held in 2002.

During 2005 and 2006, he was technical director of the Moscow Open International Chess Festival, became a member of the FIDE Committee for youth and junior events and was elected President of the WLCT (World League of Chess Tournaments).

In December 2024, Glek's account on Chess.com was banned for violating the platform's Fair Play Policy.