What Defines the Pleasure of Chess?

You could describe chess as an intellectual activity and from that say that it provides the pleasure of solving intellectual puzzles, but in fact it offers nothing like the same pleasure you would expect to find in solving the problem of free will, the mind-body problem, or developing a unified field theory.  It is only partially an intellectual pleasure like solving conceptual puzzles, but it also has a kind of physical enjoyment in moving the pieces into  their best configuration, something like what a craftsman feels when he makes something.  Can anyone offer some insights on what this additional pleasure is? 

Quite simply it is the enjoyment of engaging another person in I quiet and congenial exchange of board based strategies.

Over many years I have met many new and interesting people,  wishing them well always.

There is a correlation between being in a flow state and happiness. This article might give you the answer. https://www.pursuit-of-happiness.org/science-of-happiness/getting-in-the-flow/#:~:text=A%20growing%20body%20of%20scientific,(Psychological%20well%2Dbeing). Do not take it much seriously though because it is not yet proven.