Waverly's desire to separate herself from her Chinese heritage is driven by her Chinese cultural background. This can be seen when she changes her Chinese name to a Western one, "Waverly" and actively distances herself from her mother's Chinese traditions. This reflects her feeling of cultural alienation and shows how her cultural background affects her actions and choices.
Secondly, Waverly's cultural background also affects her choices in terms of how she plays chess. Her mother, Lindo teaches her how to play the game using traditional Chinese strategy, which is the foundation of her chess-playing style. Despite her initial reluctance, she eventually learns to embrace and draw on her cultural background to become an expert at the game. This shows how her cultural background and the knowledge passed on by her mother, shape her choices and actions.