Career
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.
He won the Armenian Chess Championship in 1996 and 1997. 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.
On the July 2011 FIDE list, he has an Elo rating of 2667, making him number 81 in the world and Armenia's number three player, behind Levon Aronian and Sergei Movsesian.
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.
In December 2009, he was awarded the title of "Honoured Master of Sport of the Republic of Armenia".
Read more about this topic: Vladimir Akopian
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