Waverly, like her mother, is a very devious person, and her mother had taught her much of this deviousness, which Waverly calls "the art of invisible strength." She and her mother used the "invisible strength" to win arguments and win respect from others, and it also helped Waverly to win chess games, which require devious strategies in order to win. Indeed, June's mother says, in regard to Waverly's chess-playing abilities, that Waverly is only "best tricky," with no real talent. But no matter how good Waverly is at being devious, her mother has always been more than a match for her.
Ever since Waverly was a child, she and her mother have always had communication problems. One huge conflict between them happened when Waverly became a national chess champion, a child prodigy. Whenever they went shopping (they lived in Chinatown), Waverly's mother would always brag to others that her daughter was a chess champion and try to take all the credit for Waverly's success. Waverly resented being shown off like some prize or trophy and finally yelled at her mother and ran away when she got sick of it. Her mother became coolly angry with her and would not speak to her. Waverly decided to get back at her by refusing to play chess, but still her mother would not end her silent treatment. When Waverly announced that she was ready to play chess again, her mother outsmarted her by refusing to let her play. She finally relented after Waverly became ill, but a gap had developed in their relationship, and for some reason, Waverly could no longer win like she used to.
Ever since that incident, Waverly has always seen her mother as an insuperable enemy who was trying to ruin her life and destroy her hopes and happiness. For instance, her mother had continually attacked and criticized Waverly's first husband, Marvin, until Waverly could see only his faults. However, her mother's "poison" could not affect Waverly's daughter, Shoshana, because Waverly's feelings for her were inviolable, as any mother's feelings for her daughter should be. Waverly is in love with Rich, but she fears that her mother's criticisms of him will poison her relationship with him. Waverly thinks that her mother hates Rich, but later finds out that this is not the case. Her mother is so critical of him because she only wants the best for daughter. Her mother only wants to be closer to Waverly, to know what's going on in her life, to bridge the gap between them that has widened over the years. That is why she became so angry, and hurt, when Waverly eloped with Marvin and asked her to stop dropping by unannounced. She is not really the invincible enemy that Waverly had thought her to be. Waverly realizes this when she angrily goes to her mother's place to finally tell her to stop making her life miserable. Instead, they have a heart-to-heart talk, and Waverly, for a brief moment, peers over the barrier between them and sees not an enemy with sneaky attacks and secret weapons, but "an old woman, a wok for her armor, a knitting needle for her sword, getting a little crabby as she waited patiently for her daughter to invite her in." After this revelation, Waverly finally understands her mother's love for her and the pain Waverly had caused her, and the gap between them is bridged.
