The psychological failures are a form of the Jeu of failures where each player can, to each blow, to refuse the blow of the adversary. Its adversary owes rejouer then a different blow which could not be refused. This particular form of play obliges each player to play, not the blow which it considers the best, but that which comes then.

One could believe, at first sight, that it is more difficult to subdue the adversary, because it is necessary to envisage two possibilities of chechmate, the subdued player having the right to refuse the first blow. But the chechmates are facilitated, because one can make chechmate by putting a lady simply not protected from the unfavourable king since one can then refuse that the king takes the lady (of course, it is not necessary that another part can take the not protected lady, because there is right only to one refusal by blow). That thus implies that a king in situation of failure with only one possible parade will be chechmate because one will be able to refuse that the king uses this parade.

This form of set of failures offers new tactical possibilities which one generally takes conscience at the end of some parts.