The game ends better when both sides can leave with their dignity intact.

How a game ends decides whether anyone wants the next one. Running up the score, replaying the best moments in front of the loser, or making the win a statement about the person turns a pleasant hour into something people quietly avoid repeating. Competition works because it is bounded, and the boundary is exactly this: the result stays inside the game.

When you win, name something real the other side did well and then change the subject. Ease off when it stops being a contest, without making the easing obvious. If you lose, congratulate them properly before you explain anything, and the explanation will usually turn out to be unnecessary.