The Westing Game

Theo begins a mysterious chess game at the Westing mansion that continues the length of the novel, until the end when Sandy “dies.” He believes that finding out who his opponent is will lead him to clues that will help him with the game, so he continuously asks other residents of the building if they’d like to play him. Both Judge Ford and Turtle play chess with Westing as young women. When Sandy dies, Judge Ford notes that he is “[t]he Queen’s sacrifice” (156).

The game of chess is one of strategy. The players know the rules of the game, but it is up to them to make the most of rules to win. The game Westing has planned for his heirs is quite similar. By the end of it, he conceals nothing from the heirs. Everything they need to win is either given to them (the clues) or is a part of their personal biographical information (Crow is Westing’s wife; Westing’s word games in the clues reveal his identities). As with the game of chess, there are ample possibilities to run into dead ends.

Judge Ford, though she is a chess player, is unable to separate her personal ties to Westing as she strategizes, which keeps her from noticing the clues around her (especially that her partner is Westing).