Rules of the Game

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key plot points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Reading Check

1. What strategy is good for winning arguments and chess games?

2. Why don’t Waverly’s brother, Lau Po, or Bobby Fischer take Waverly’s desire to play chess well seriously at first?

3. How does Waverly convince her mother to allow her to play in chess tournaments?

4. How does Waverly’s mother criticize her ability to play chess?

5. How does the family react when Waverly finally returns home from the Saturday market?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What does Waverly’s mother mean when she says, “Wise guy, he not go against wind [...]. Come from South” (Paragraph 2)?

2. What do Waverly’s two names (Waverly and Meimei) suggest about the family?

3. What does Lao Po’s advice about speaking with vanity or throwing chess pieces say about the game of chess?

4. What is the conflict between Waverly and her mother?

5. What does Waverly mean when she says, “I pondered my next move”?

Paired Resource

“Robert (Bobby) James Fischer”

• This entry details the biography of Bobby Fischer, who is cited in the story.
• Bobby Fischer and Waverly both mention the importance of the endgame. As you discuss the themes Invisible Strength and Mother-Daughter Relationships, consider the ways in which Waverly neglects to consider the endgame with her mother.

“‘It Is Not Biology’: Women’s Chess Hindered by Low Numbers and Sexism”

• This article seeks to find the causes for low numbers of female chess participation worldwide.
• Consider the ways in which Waverly’s gender affects her opportunities to play chess both inside and outside of her family.

Recommended Next Reads 

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

• “Rules of the Game” is part of this novel, which features four pairs of Chinese American mothers and their daughters.
• The Joy Luck Club on SuperSummary

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

• This series of interconnected vignettes traces the coming of age of Esperanza, a young Latina girl living in Chicago. Like Waverly, Esperanza finds herself in conflict with traditional female expectations.
• Shared topics include family conflict and gender.
• The House on Mango Street on SuperSummary