Varuzhan Akobian

Varuzhan Akobian ( born November 19, 1983 in Yerevan ) is an American chess player of Armenian descent.

The beginnings

As Akobian was five years old, his father had a longer labor in Mongolia. There he learned to play chess on his father's wish that he should not play outside because of the harsh climate. When the family two years later returned to Armenia, he went to the chess school Tigran Petrosian, named after the former world champion. In January 2001 Akobian moved to California, where he gained American citizenship and plays since 2002 for the U.S. Chess Federation.

In Armenia, he was trained by IM Ashot Sargsyan Gagik and Nadanjan.

Achievements

Was Akobian Armenian youth champion in the age groups U10 (1993 ), U12 (1995) and U16 (1998). 16 -year-old he met in 2000, the standards for the title of International Master, who was awarded to him in November of the same year. In the U.S., he won from 2001, more than a dozen tournaments. In 2004 he became Grand Master. The first standard for this he reached in July 2002 at the 30th World Open in Philadelphia ( he 2004 in 32 and 2007, won the 35th edition ), the second standard when Imre Konig Invitational Tournament in September 2002 in San Francisco and the third provision, November 2003 when Eduard Gufeld Memorial in Los Angeles. At the Chess Olympiad in Turin in 2006, he played on the second board and finished in third place with the U.S. team. He won the day after the Olympics starting San Marino Open with an Elo performance of 2800. In July 2007, he was behind Julio Ernesto Granda Zúñiga second at the Continental Cup in Cali. At the Chess Olympiad in Dresden in 2008, he played at the new third place in the U.S. team on the first reserve board. In April 2009, he won a match against the reigning national champion Yury Shulman six rapid games (score 3,5:2,5 ) and eight blitz games (score 6-2 ), where it was about a prize fund of U.S. $ 10,000.

His highest Elo rating was 2643 in April 2014 that he was in fifth place of U.S. Elo ranking.

An episode of the series True Live of the music channel MTV, entitled I'm a Genius, First broadcast on 8 March 2007, portrays Akobian.