How can you improve your chess? It's not by chance that the top players say: 'Study the endgame!' This is because a great number of encounters reach the endgame, and studying these positions will teach you how to convert winning positions, and how to save or even overturn inferior ones. Moreover, it's a well-known fact that studying endgames undoubtedly enhances other aspects of your play."Practical Endgame Play - Mastering the Basics" is a comprehensive guide to all fundamental chess endings, and a godsend for those looking to improve their endgame play. Crucially, the emphasis is just as much on practical play as it is on theoretical understanding. Whenever an idea is introduced, Grandmaster Efstratios Grivas immediately illustrates it with a number of entertaining and instructive examples, a considerable number of which are drawn from his own over-the-board experiences.This is a companion volume to Everyman's earlier book "Practical Endgame Play - Beyond the Basics", a work which specializes in more complex positions. This book: covers all the fundamental endgames; is full of practical tips and opinions; and is written by a prominent endgame expert.