endgame vs preliminary

endgame

noun
  • The final stage of any game. 

  • The final stage of a game of chess, when there are few pieces left. 

  • The final stage of an extended process or course of events, especially with the implication of the imminent realization of a masterful strategy or plan. 

  • The gameplay available in a massively multiplayer online role-playing game for players who have completed all of the preset challenges. 

  • The final stage of a game of bridge, when there are few cards left. 

adj
  • Having become canon by the end of the plot of a work of fiction or speculated to be intended to become such. 

preliminary

noun
  • Any of a series of sports events that determine the finalists 

  • A preparation for a main matter; an introduction. 

  • A relatively minor contest that precedes a major one, especially in boxing 

adj
  • In preparation for the main matter; initial, introductory, preparatory. 

How often have the words endgame and preliminary occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )