Post

"That only plausibly looks like a chess move" I sneer as Stockfish absolutely destroys me

Maybe this is a circular argument, but I think "looking like a chess move" is sufficient for actually being a chess move more than the same for sentences. (Though sometimes "looking like a sentence" is adequate for the task at hand)

Short answer: chess is code Chess is not, fundamentally, expressive. A player may have a certain style as with anything else, but the primary thing determining a chess move is analysis of the position, and producing coherent language is more than that

As I said, I'm open to the idea I'm making a circular argument here

I agree there is more expressiveness in human language than in chess. But I'd say that is separable? That is, a chess move is just syntax, and a sentence is just syntax as well. On top of that syntax, there can be meaning and interpretation, and certainly a lot more in the case of human language.