What do you think makes chess so fun?

I think its how almost every game is different and has a different lesson. 

fun it drives me crazy

how?

Chess is both a puzzle and a game. It is a puzzle because you have to figure out the best possible move and a game because you are competing  against someone else while doing so. The reason why crossword puzzles, for example, tend to be dry is because you are not in competition with another person. Thats why Scrabble is much more fun than crossword puzzles. This is also true of chess puzzles, we have a puzzle to solve but there is no competition. If we do solve the puzzle we cannot gloat. Chess is better than scrabble because of the variety and complexity of ideas in chess. I suspect that one can become a scrabble champ by memorizing the scrabble dictionary. Card games such as bridge or poker do not have the complexity of chess nor do other board games such as backgammon or checkers. 

i totally agree with you