In Amy Tan's short-story "Rules of the Game," Waverly and her brothers attend an annual Christmas party at the First Chinese Baptist Church, which is located at the end of their alley. During the party, a man dressed as Santa Claus begins passing out random small gifts to each child in attendance. Waverly receives a twelve-pack of Life Savers as a present while her brother Vincent receives a used chess set from Santa's bag. Despite the fact that Vincent's chess set is missing two pieces, Waverly and her brothers are intrigued by the game and immediately read the rules when they get home. Waverly begs her brother to play and ends up sharing several Life Savers to get a chance to play. Waverly becomes fascinated by the game of chess and quickly learns the rules and secrets to the game. Waverly turns out to be a chess prodigy and becomes the youngest champion from her side of town.
In Amy Tan’s, Rules of the Game, Waverly’s brother, Vincent, is the initial recipient of the chess set. The game, which later has a significant impact on Waverly’s life, comes into Vincent’s possession completely by chance: it is a Christmas gift bestowed by a Santa-costume-clad man at the church the San Francisco-based Jong family attended. As this was an act of charity—a gift for less fortunate children—Waverly’s mother, a woman as poor as she is proud, wants to destroy it. Fortunately for Waverly, her brothers rescues the chess board and starts playing the game before Mrs. Jong can toss it on the trash heap. Although her two brothers quickly lose interest in the game, Waverly excels, becoming a national chess champion by the age of nine.
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