WASHINGTON — Back-to-back, Armenian-Americans have won the US Senior Chess Championship for two consecutive years. In 2023, it was Melikset Khachiyan, who also coaches the US Women’s National Team. This time, it was Vladimir Akopian’s turn. In Saint Louis, Missouri, the Armenian grandmaster won five out of nine games and tied four. With no defeats and a round before the tournament was over, Akopian had secured first place.
“Ten seniors played – those over 50 years old and mostly considered the legends of American chess. I turned 50 two years ago, so my first tournament was in 2022,” said Akopian in a Zoom-based interview.
In 2022 and 2023, the legend of American and Armenian chess Akopian ended up third, although the first time, only the additional tie-break games prevented him from winning the champion’s title.
This time, the series of games went relatively smoothly for Akopian, as he secured the title even before the final round. However, the grandmaster (GM) had been through competitive and challenging matches before, particularly when he played as a member of Armenia’s national team. He was one of the GMs when the Yerevan squad won three chess Olympiads in 2006 (Turin, Italy), 2008 (Dresden, Germany), 2012 (Istanbul, Turkey), and also won the World Team Championship of 2011 in China.
“Playing individual competitions is somewhat easier as you are responsible only for yourself. It’s different when you play for your national team. If you lose a game, you let down the whole team. However, I was happy that I avoided this kind of situation,” noted Akopian and provided statistics that confirm his statement. He lost none of the 43 games he played for Armenia’s national team at the aforementioned prestigious tournaments. “Of course, I had been through difficult games, but I was able to avoid defeats,” recalls Akopian.
Back then, when the GMs were walking in the streets of Yerevan, people often recognized them and approached the legendary squad members. Now, it’s a bit different in California. “I am not recognized often by the locals. However, this is pretty good. I like privacy,” added Akopian with a sense of humor.
