How we cite our quotes: (Paragraph)
Quote #4
Soon I no longer lost any games or Life Savers, but I lost my adversaries. Winston and Vincent decided they were more interested in roaming the streets after school in their Hopalong Cassidy cowboy hats. (28)
Sometimes when you win, you really lose. Winston and Vincent get to go shoot up imaginary outlaws on the streets of Chinatown, while Waverly gets to sit in her room and plot the queen's gambit. The story makes this point very quietly: Waverly initially loves chess, but it soon starts to entrap her. This is the official opening shot for that idea.
Quote #5
I desperately wanted to go, but I bit back my tongue. (35)
Tan likes making comparisons between the game of chess and Waverly's relationship with her mother, and we see a little of this here—"the art of invisible strength" mentioned in the first sentence of the story involves biting your tongue, which is exactly what Waverly does here. She hits mom with reverse psychology and eventually gets what she wants. Game on.
Quote #6
I no longer played in the alley of Waverly Place. I never visited the playground where the pigeons and old men gathered. I went to school, then directly home to learn new chess secrets, cleverly concealed advantages, more escape routes. (51)
Waverly's imprisonment has become pretty overt here. She can't play or do any of the things she used to; all she gets to do is play chess. What's interesting is how matter-of-fact she is when explaining it. There's not a lot of self-pity or whining, just a clear statement of what her life is like. This could be because she's taking some responsibility for the changes instead of just blaming her mom, but it could also be because the cage closes so gradually around her that she can't even feel it happening.