In 1951 he won Estonian school children chess championship.

Twice won Estonian rural sports associations chess championships (1965, 1966).

[1] In Estonian Chess Championships he has won 7 gold (1970, 1975, 1977, 1983–85, 1987), 3 silver (1968, 1979, 1988) and bronze (1978) medals.

From 1973 to 1989 participated in the traditional international chess tournaments in Tallinn.

[3] Since the 1960s, Kärner worked in Tallinn's Excavator factory, later the rural project institute «EKE Projekt» and Paul Keres House of Chess.