The only surprise (for me, anyway) is why this event ends Sunday, rather than add 1 or 2 more rounds on Holiday Monday.
..
[Event "Verennes"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2017.10.07"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Sambuev, Bator"]
[Black "Perez-Garcia, Luis Manuel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A22"]
[WhiteElo "2535"]
[BlackElo "2368"]
[Annotator "John Upper"]
[PlyCount "99"]
1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. e3 $5 {both Nf3 and g3 are much more common, but
Carlsen has played this twice in fast games in 2017 against Anand and MVL.} d5
4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Qc2 (5. Nf3 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bd6 7. d4 Qe7 $1) 5... Nb4 6. Qb1 Bd6
(6... N8c6 7. a3 Nd5 8. Nf3 {would be a reversed Taimanov Sicilian, where
White is a tempo up.}) (6... c5 7. Nf3 N4c6 8. a3 Be7 9. Be2 O-O 10. O-O Be6
11. d3 {is a reversed Hedgehog, Wirig,A (2477)-Shirazi,K (2448) Metz 2008 (1-0,
49).}) 7. a3 N4c6 8. b4 O-O 9. Nf3 a6 10. Bc4 Bg4 11. Ne4 Bf5 12. Rg1 $5 Nd7
13. Bd3 {Controlling e4 before pushing g4.} (13. g4 $6 Bxe4 14. Qxe4 Nf6 15.
Qb1 e4 $15) 13... Bg6 14. g4 Nf6 15. h4 Bxe4 16. Bxe4 Nxe4 17. Qxe4 f6 18. Bb2
Qe7 19. h5 {[#] White has more space, but is that so important with four
minors off the board? Black's Bd6 is not very impressive, but is it worse than
the one on b2?} Qf7 20. Nh4 a5 21. b5 Nd8 22. Nf5 Ne6 23. Qc4 Nc5 24. Qxf7+
Kxf7 25. Ke2 Na4 26. Bc1 $5 {Is White being provocative? Just trying to keep
more pieces on the board? Or claiming that the Na4 is worse than the Bc1.} (26.
Bc3 $11) 26... g6 27. Ng3 Rfd8 28. Rh1 Kg7 29. Ra2 Rac8 30. Rc2 c6 31. bxc6
Rxc6 32. Rxc6 bxc6 33. Kd1 {[#]} c5 $6 (33... Nc5 $5 {trying to bring the N to
d3.} 34. hxg6 hxg6 35. Kc2 Be7) 34. hxg6 hxg6 35. Rh4 {Threatening g5,
attacking the Na4 and breaking up Black's pawns.} Nb6 36. Kc2 Be7 37. g5 f5 (
37... fxg5 38. Re4 (38. Rg4) 38... Kf6 39. Bb2 Nd7 40. Ra4 Ra8 41. Bc3 Nb6 42.
Rxa5 Rxa5 43. Bxa5 Nc4 $11) 38. Bb2 {[#]} Bxg5 $2 (38... Rd5 $1 39. f4 (39. Rh6
Bxg5 40. Nxf5+ $2 Kf6 {Only move.} $19) 39... Nc4 $1 $11 {Black's counterplay arrives
just in time.} 40. Bc3 Nxa3+ 41. Kb3 Nb1 $1 (41... c4+ $5) 42. Bxe5+ Rxe5 $1
43. fxe5 Nxd2+ 44. Kc3 Nf3 $11 {Black will win a couple of pawns, but White
should be able to force a draw.}) 39. Bxe5+ Bf6 $2 (39... Kf7 40. Rh7+ Ke6 41.
Bc7 Rd7 {Only move.} 42. Rxd7 Nxd7 43. Bxa5 $16) 40. Nxf5+ $1 $18 {All three of White's
remaining pieces are hanging, but Black -- (as Tal said) -- can take only one
at a time.} Kf7 (40... gxf5 41. Bxf6+ Kxf6 42. Rh6+ $18 {with an extra pawns
and vastly better structure.}) 41. Nh6+ Ke6 42. Bxf6 Kxf6 43. Rf4+ Ke6 44. Ng4
Nd7 45. Re4+ Kd5 46. Re7 $1 {Threatening Rxd7 then Nf6+.} Nb6 47. Re5+ Kc6 48.
Rg5 {Simplest.} (48. Re6+ Kb5 49. Nf6 $1 (49. Rxg6 $2 Nc4 $16 {Black has some
counterplay.}) 49... Nc4 50. Ne4 Nxa3+ 51. Kb3 {threatens Nc3# and taking the
Na3.}) 48... Nc4 49. Ne5+ $1 {Forcing off the Ns leaves a winning Rook ending.} Nxe5 50. Rxe5 {White has an extra pawn and all
three of Black's pawns are isolated and weak. Sambuev leads with 3/3 but with
11 players 1/2 a point back, including GM Alex Lenderman, who has White
against Sambuev in round 4.} 1-0
..
