Karen Asrian

Karen Asrjan (Armenian Կարեն Ասրյան, in scientific transliteration Karen Asryan, English transcription Karen Asrian, pronunciation ka'rɛn asǝr'jan; born April 24, 1980 in Yerevan, † June 9, 2008 ) was an Armenian chess player and International Grandmaster.

As early as 1999, at the age of 19 years, Karen Asrjan won the championship for his country and still celebrate in the aftermath quite big tournament successes. He won in 2001 in Dubai by Rating ago so famous players like Jaan Ehlvest, Alexei Alexandrov, Artashes Minassjan, Alexander Motyljow and Others and in 2004 he won a tournament in Stepanakert before Bartholomew Macieja, Gabriel Sargsyan, Ashot Anastassjan and others.

Asrjan played in five Chess Olympiads for his country. For its first participation in 1996 in Yerevan for the Armenian B- team, he was awarded the gold medal for the best result on the first reserve board. His last Olympics was Torino 2006, where he won with the Armenian team the gold medal. He also played at the World Team Championships in 2001 and 2005, in which Armenia each finished in third place, as well as the European Team Championship 2007 in Heraklion ( Crete), in which Armenia won the silver medal.

In the FIDE World Championship in Las Vegas in 1999, he came up in the third round, where he was eliminated by eventual winner Alexander Khalifman. 2000 in New Delhi, he failed in the first round of Loek van Wely, 2001 in Moscow, also in the first round after tie-break against Igor Khenkin. In Tripoli, 2004, he reached the second round, where they lost against Michael Adams.

In the national championship in 2006 he was because of the absence of other players (among Levon Aronian of ) favorite, but finally finished in third place behind Artashes Minassjan and the surprisingly strong playing Arman Paschikjan. In 2007, he won the national title for the second time after 1999. In January 2008, he won again, after scoring against the same number of points Minassjan.

His highest Elo rating was 2646, which he reached in January 2006.

Asrjan died on 9 June 2008 at the age of 28, apparently of a brain haemorrhage while he was traveling by car.