Karen Asrian Tribute

Karen Asrian was born on April 24, 1980. He won the national Armenian Championship in 1999, 2007 and 2008, and the tournaments of Dubai 2001 and Stepanakert 2004. In 2006 he won a gold medal at the Chess Olympiad in Turin as a member of Armenian team, playing on board three.

Asrian had a solid playing style, refusing to take much risk on board. Combined with good endgame technique this made him an excellent team player. His highest rating was 2634 (in October 2006), his final rating 2630.

Asrian, apparently feeling ill, pulled his car into a courtyard in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, early Monday and lost consciousness. An ambulance crew pronounced him dead at the scene, possibly of a heart attack. A moment of silence was held in his memory before the opening of a speed-chess tournament in Yerevan on Monday, after his death was announced by Armenian player Smbat Lputian.