From material obtained during the analyses of several individuals who were chess players of varying degrees of ability, Coriat confirms Jones' conclusions that chess is a game preëminently anal-sadistic in nature in which the unconscious motivation is the symbolic expression of 'the wish to overcome the father in an acceptable way'. The motive and methods of chess harmonize with character traits and have their origin in the Oedipus complex. The unconscious symbolic significance of the pieces themselves is also stressed. Finally, adult interest in chess is likened to play in children in which life situations are mastered through games.