Vladimir Akopian

Infobox chess player
playername = Vladimir Akopian


caption=
birthname = Վլադիմիր Հակոբյան
country = ARM
datebirth = birth date and age|1971|12|7
placebirth = Baku, Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, USSR
datedeath =
placedeath =
title = Grandmaster
worldchampion =
womensworldchampion =
rating = 2673
(No. 45 on the July 2008 FIDE ratings list)
peakrating = 2713 (July 2006)

Vladimir Akopian ( _ru. Владимир Акопян; born December 7 1971 in Baku, Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, USSR) is a leading Armenian chess Grandmaster. In Armenia his surname is more commonly written Hakobyan ( _hy. Վլադիմիր Հակոբյան) however, most English texts and the Fédération Internationale des Échecs use a transliteration of the Russian version.

Akopian won the World Under-16 Championship in 1986 at the age of 14 and the World Under-18 Championship at 16.

In 1991 he won the World Junior Chess Championship and in 1999 he made his way through to the final of the FIDE Knock-Out World Chess Championship, but lost to Alexander Khalifman, 3.5-2.5. In the 2004 event, he was knocked out in the quarter-finals by the player he had defeated in the 1999 semi-finals, Michael Adams.

It was reported that Akopian had to withdraw from the 2005 Dubai Open when he was arrested at Dubai airport having been mistaken for an individual of the same name wanted by Interpol for murder. [ [http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg107444.html] Dead link|date=August 2008]

Akopian was one of the contributing players on the Armenian chess team which won gold at the 2006 Chess Olympiad ahead of second placed China and third placed United States.

On the January 2007 FIDE list, he has an Elo rating of 2700, making him number twenty in the world and Armenia's number two player, behind Levon Aronian.

Early in 2007, Akopian won the Gibtelecom Masters in Gibraltar with a score of 7.5/9 ahead of a group of players tied at 7/9 including Michael Adams.

Notes

External links

*fide|id=13300032|name=Vladimir Akopian
* [http://66.232.119.96/ratings/id.phtml?event=13300032 Rating progress chart]
*chessgames player|id=14125
* [http://www.olimpbase.org/players/ntvrzvph.html OlimpBase]
* [http://chess.vrsac.com/search/player_e.asp?FC=13300032 Rating data]

Persondata
NAME=Վլադիմիր Հակոբյան
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Vladimir Akopian
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Armenian chess Grandmaster
DATE OF BIRTH=December 7 1971
PLACE OF BIRTH=Baku
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=