Waverly began to attract attention because of her young age, and she became a celebrity within San Francisco’s Chinatown community. She played in tournaments, and by the age of nine she had become a national champion, 429 points away from grandmaster status. Lindo took great pride in her daughter’s talent, and although she gave her daughter preferential treatment, she also made use of Waverly to feed her own self-pride. She would force Waverly to come to the market with her, presenting her in all the shops. One day, exasperated, Waverly yelled at her mother in the street, telling her that she was embarrassed by her constant bragging. Waverly ran off, ignoring her mother’s shouts; when she returned later that night, Lindo said that because Waverly had no concern for her family, the family would have no concern for her. Waverly went into her room, lay down on the bed, and envisioned a chess game in which her mother was her opponent. Lindo’s pieces were advancing across the board, pushing Waverly’s pieces off; Waverly felt so dislodged that she had a feeling she would fly away; she felt she had lost her anchor. Waverly ends her story with the statement, “I closed my eyes and pondered my next move.”