The Final Gambit

Games and puzzles are a constant motif throughout the Inheritance Games trilogy. This is most obviously seen in the riddles left behind by Tobias for his family and Avery; the book follows one clue to the next in one big puzzle game. Given what’s at stake—a billion-dollar fortune—the book argues that games and puzzles can carry meaning and consequences, especially to the rich and powerful who view the entire world as a game and themselves as the almighty “players.” Jameson specifically tells Avery in Chapter 2 that the world is a game board when he encourages her to move forward. As the plot thickens, Grayson specifically asks Avery to stop playing his grandfather’s games; he dislikes the revelations about Tobias’s true nature, especially given that Grayson was set to step into Tobias’s shoes (and likely would have become just like him).

Games and puzzles are used to read a person’s character. This is seen when Avery invites Eve to play Hawthorne “Chutes and Ladders,” using the game as an opportunity to learn more about Eve’s character. Through this interaction, Avery learns about Eve’s past and how she was an unwanted child, ostracized by her own family. Avery also uses this in her final chess match against Vincent. She knows that Vincent will have misread her—because she’s a girl and lost the chess game to Eve (on purpose), Vincent will assume he can win. Avery manipulates his character through the game. The fact that the trilogy concludes with a chess match is fitting and brings the books full circle. The very first book in the series, The Inheritance Games, opened with Avery and Toby—known then as “Harry”—playing chess in the park together. The author has carried the motif of chess, the ultimate game of strategy, through the entire series.

One of the last instances of puzzles in the book comes in the form of a gift. After Avery defeats Vincent, Toby gives her a wooden puzzle cube; in it is a carving that reads “I see so much of your mother in you” (348). Unlike Tobias’s riddles and games, this is merely a gesture of love; Toby loved Avery’s mother and views Avery as a daughter. He has no ulterior motives and has rejected wealth and power, which sets him apart from people like Tobias and Vincent.