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.