Winning the pawn race

Both sides have a passed pawn. White queens first and then has to find the square that controls Black’s promotion.

Lesson

White to move. Main line: 1. b4 Kf1 2. b5 g5 3. b6 g4 4. b7 g3 5. b8=Q g2 6. Qh2 g1=Q 7. Qxg1+

White starts immediately and queens one move ahead. That is not yet the whole solution: after ...g2, 6.Qh2 controls g1, so Black’s promotion is answered by 7.Qxg1+.

The counting rule has two parts: count how many moves each pawn needs, then calculate what the first queen can do with its spare tempo. A promotion that arrives first but cannot control the other pawn may still draw.

This replay now carries the race through both promotions and the capture, so the stated result is visible on the board rather than left as a promise.