Close contest's final stage (7)
I believe the answer is:
endgame
'contest's final stage' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'close' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'close' could be 'end' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'end' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'game' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for endgame that I've seen before include "when there are few men left" , "closing moves on chessboard" , "drama" , "moves before mating" , "Final stage in a contest" .)