Vladimir Akopian is an Armenian chess player. Akopian was born on December 7, 1971 in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, Soviet Union. He started playing chess at age 6 and by the age of 12 had won the World Junior Championship. He achieved the title of International Master in 1988 and was awarded the title of chess Grandmaster by FIDE in 1991.
Akopian has achieved success in both team and individual competitions. In team chess, he was an integral part of the Armenian national team that won gold medals at the Chess Olympiads in Turin 2006 and Dresden 2008, and the World Team Chess Championships in 2011. Individually, some of his best results were in 1999, when he came second in the FIDE World Chess Championship. He also won the Dubai Open in 1996 and 1998, and the Aeroflot Open in Moscow in 2004.
Nationally, Akopian was awarded the title of Honoured Master of Sport of the Republic of Armenia in 2009.
Akopian is known for his solid and sometimes defensive style, and is also a noted chess endgame expert, specifically, studies - a branch of endgame theory. Despite his achievements, he is considered to be one of the most underrated players in the world.