1. Waverly wants her mom to buy her some salted plums, but Waverly’s mom wants her daughter to display restraint (“invisible strength”).
2. Waverly’s mom rewards her for being silent with some of the plums.
3. Waverly describes how she and her brothers play in and around their neighborhood’s shops. She recalls how her mom told her about a girl who was killed by a cab in the streets.
4. When Waverly’s mom styles her daughter’s hair roughly, Waverly slyly asks what Chinese torture is.
5. At the Christmas party, Waverly gets rolls of Life Savers candy, and her brother Vincent gets a chess set which is missing some pieces.
6. Waverly’s brothers let her play chess with them when she offers some of her candies as stand-ins for the missing game pieces. She learns the rules of the game, and her mom thinks of the chess rules as similar to the rules governing immigrants’ lives in America.
7. Her brothers become less interested in chess, and Waverly becomes more interested. She plays against skilled adults in the park and learns a lot from them.
8. Waverly begins to play chess competitively in small local tournaments. Her mom attributes Waverly’s victories to luck but is very proud of Waverly's success.
9. Waverly wins trophies in her tournaments but argues with her mother about how the games should be played.
10. Vincent and Winston (Waverly’s brothers) are made to take over Waverly’s chores so she can focus on chess.
11. Waverly becomes a national chess championship and turns nine years old. She is featured on the cover of Life magazine. She feels “triumphant” win she wins games.
12. Waverly focuses on studying advanced chess techniques and gets more special treatment at home, but she still clashes with her mother, thinking that her mother wants to lay claim to Waverly’s talent.
13. When Waverly’s mom proudly introduces her to people in the market shops, Waverly gets embarrassed and annoyed and runs off into an alley.
14. A few hours later, Waverly returns home, where her mother is angry at her and ignores her during dinner.
15. Waverly imagines her conflict with her mother as a game of chess, and she thinks about what her “next move” will be.
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