He was educated in the 1st Moscow Cadet Corps, from which he was released on 30 June 1858 as an ensign in the Life Guards Finland Regiment.

Since 7 May 1861, Tchaikovsky was a senior adjutant to the headquarters of the assistant inspector of infantry battalions, and on 6 June of the following year he was promoted to captain.

In the same year, he successfully passed the entrance exams to the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff.

At the end of the course at the academy on 10 December 1864 he was appointed senior adjutant to the headquarters of the 3rd Cavalry Division (Russian Empire), and then successively held the position of senior adjutant in the interim administration of the Warsaw Guard detachment (3 July 1866) and was on assignments at the headquarters of the Warsaw Military District (from 31 July 1867).

From 16 June 1872 to 14 August 1874 he commanded the 4th Turkestan Line Battalion, with which in 1873 he took part in an expedition against the Khanate of Khiva.

On 2 August 1884, Tchaikovsky was appointed chief of staff of the 6th Army Corps (Russian Empire) and remained in that position until 22 February 1889, when he was appointed assistant chief of staff of the Kiev Military District.