noun
Refers to the result of a contest, often used in phrases like 勝負がつく (the outcome is decided) or 勝負を決める (decide the match).
この一打で勝負が決まった。
This one stroke decided the match.
noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', intransitive verb
A competitive event or confrontation; can be used as a noun or with する to mean 'to compete' or 'to have a match'.
明日、彼と将棋で勝負する。
Tomorrow I'll have a shogi match with him.
勝負はこれからだ。
The real contest starts now.