How we cite our quotes: (Paragraph)
Quote #7
By my ninth birthday, I was a national chess champion. (48)
Tan draws a contrast here between Waverly's little-kid age and her grown-up accomplishment. Waverly's a girl split between two worlds—kid and adult.
Quote #8
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)
And now for some consequences. Chess is a trap and Waverly's caught in it, forced to give up all of the things that made up her childhood. That's a pretty steep price to pay, right? Waverly has to confront the fact that her choices (and her mother's) have impacted her life in ways that go far beyond chess.
Quote #9
I imagined my mother, first walking briskly down one street or another looking for me, then giving up and returning home to await my arrival. (63)
As a follow-up to the previous quote, Waverly now understands that when she makes a decision—like running away—she's going to have to pay for it in some way. Everyone learns this sooner or later, and part of our childhood goes away once we do.