Chess
This is the big one, the one the whole story twirls merrily around. Tan makes chess a mysterious force and lets Waverly gain confidence from "the secrets I found within the sixty-four black and whi...
The Wind
The wind is Waverly's invisible buddy, teaching her to be strong and sneaky while knocking her opponents over like empty cups in a strong breeze. Okay, actually it's Waverly's mom who tells her "St...
Turtles and Fish
The turtles and the fish show up in the fish shop down the street from Waverly's apartment… and then again on the dinner table after she's run off. Tan stresses their inability to escape as we wa...
Waverly's Hair
You know what synecdoche is? It's basically when a part represents a whole—and in "Rules of the Game," Waverly's hair totally represents the girl that it's attached to. Waverly's hair is first de...