An endplay in bridge

Contract bridge

Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...

 and similar games, is a tactical play where a defender is put on lead at a strategic moment, and then has to make a play that loses one or more tricks. Most commonly the losing play either constitutes a free finesse

Finesse

In contract bridge and similar games, a finesse is a technique which allows one to promote tricks based on a favorable position of one or more cards in the hands of the opponents....

, or else it gives declarer a ruff and discard. In a case where declarer has no entries

Entry (cards)

An entry, in trick-taking card games such as bridge, is a means of gaining the lead in a particular hand, i.e. winning the trick in that hand. Gaining the lead when some other player led to the previous trick is referred to as entering one's hand; a card that wins a trick to which another player...

 to dummy (or to his own hand), the defender may also be endplayed into leading a suit which can be won in that hand.

Example

For example, South is playing in 6 and West leads the diamond king. If the adverse spades are divided 2-1, there are 12 certain tricks (6 spade tricks, 2 hearts, 1 diamond, 3 clubs) and the possibility of a 13th by correctly guessing the two-way finesse (or dropping the queen) in hearts. But if the spades are 3-0, the declarer will need an endplay to avoid the heart guess. He should start by winning the diamond ace and ruffing a diamond in dummy, then cash the spade ace and spade king. If this reveals a 3-0 trump split, he now ruffs another diamond in dummy. If this is not overruffed, the contract is now assured. Declarer's plan now is to play the king, ace, and queen of clubs, discarding a heart from dummy to reach this end position:
South now exits with a spade, and whoever wins is endplayed. If he leads a heart, North-South must make three heart tricks; if a club or diamond, declarer will ruff in one hand and discard a heart from the other, making an extra trump trick. Or if the defender has fewer than 3 clubs and chooses to ruff before the above position is reached, he is likewise endplayed, having to lead a heart or a diamond.

Combining Endplay and Squeeze

A strip squeeze

Strip squeeze

A strip squeeze is a declarer technique at contract bridge combining elements of squeeze and endplay.This squeeze occurs when declarer has two or more losers remaining. By cashing winners, declarer forces the defender to discard winners and/or exit cards so that when they are put on lead they...

 is a particular kind of squeeze

Squeeze play (bridge)

A squeeze play is a type of play late in the hand of contract bridge and other trick-taking game in which the play of a card forces an opponent to discard a card that gives up one or more tricks. The discarded card may be either a winner or a card needed to protect a winner...

that is based on endplaying the squeezed defender.