  An optimal local conversion strategy between any two pure states of a
bipartite system is presented. It is optimal in that the probability of success
is the largest achievable if the parties which share the system, and which can
communicate classically, are only allowed to act locally on it. The study of
optimal local conversions sheds some light on the entanglement of a single copy
of a pure state. We propose a quantification of such an entanglement by means
of a finite minimal set of new measures from which the optimal probability of
conversion follows.
