Vladimir Akopian is two times world youth champion, winning in 1986 the U16 category and two years later, at the age of 16, the U18. He became junior world champion in 1991 as well and was very close to gain the most precious title too, when he lost only the finals of the FIDE World Championship in 1999 with Alexander Khalifman. In 2004 he made it to the quarter-finals but lost to Adams. He holds the golden medal from the 2006 Olympiad won by the Armenians. Akopian won the international tournament in Gibraltar this year.