1) There are "standard" combos. Those are the bnb's/patterns that everyone tends to use with specific characters.
2) That's just it. YOU DON'T SEE HOW. To you, its just guessing. To people who can think, plan ahead, and react that fast, its not. If you are going "maybe the guy is going to do the same mid kick launcher, i'll try to hold it", then yes, thats just guessing. If, however, you are going "I know for a fact this guy is going to do the mid kick launcher, either due to me recognizing his patterns and tendencies, or me guiding his actions due to controlling the flow of the fight, or even more accurately, a combination of the two", then no, that's no longer guessing. There's ALWAYS the off chance that you will be wrong even when not guessing, but that's just plans falling through, not a matter of "guessing". Just like there's always the off chance of your brakes going out on the freeway, that doesn't suddenly mean you don't know how to drive, it just means shit happens.
3) As it obviously went over your head (as with most comparisons and metaphors), the chess comparison was in reference to how tactical the game is, especially in comparison to games of the other genres. (board games and fighting games, respectively.)
4) You can only counter BEFORE getting hit in DOA, as well.
5) Having holds out of stun isn't punishing people for successfully attacking, its punishing for WILDLY and RECKLESSLY (Or more to the point, PREDICTABLY) attacking the opponent. If you were successfully attacking, they wouldn't be able to counter you because you are outmaneuvering them with better mixup. Rushdown isn't a valid strategy in a game with a solid defense (or an actual fight), and people FREAK OUT about that because they don't like their memorized combos to be interrupted and think that they should be rewarded with several free damage hits after every normal hit they land.
6) If there is no skill in holding, then there is also no skill in attacking, since its the same damn thing, just one is offensive, one is defensive. If you are only "guessing" holds will work, then you are only "guessing" every attack you throw out will land.
1) Once again, the only "standard" combo's for characters are juggles. Well ok, maybe the guaranteed stuff are standard, but you cannot guess out of it, so I honestly don't know what "standard" combo's you are talking about. You can really just throw in any move and it will continue the stun threshold. You will have to list examples, because I really do not see any.
2) You never know for a fact what the person is going to do once you get stunned. If the person happens to be doing the same mid punch to launch you and you keep holding it, he is not playing the game properly and just being overly predictable. When you play the game properly and mix up, it becomes true 50/50 in everything you while the opponent is in stun, which is stupid.
3) Chess is much more tactical than DOA, since there is much less guessing in chess compared to DOA.
4) Yes and that is exactly how it should STAY. You should not be able to hold (not counter, hold) out of stun. It completely ruins the point of risk+reward.
5) Yes it does punish people for successfully attacking. If you didn't block my attack in the first place, you should be punished for not blocking the attack, not rewarded, completely and utterly punished because it is your fault for getting hit, no matter how "predictable" it is. If I constantly hit 2P and you do not block, that is your falt for not blocking the string. I don't see why this is difficult to understand.
And btw, this game does not have any solid defense at all, considering the fact that people constantly low hold in order to evade grabs just proves how bad the stun game is on defense. Low holding is apparently a better evasive move then slow escaping and crouching, which is the COMPLETE opposite of what a low hold is actually supposed to be.
Also, the only people that freak out must really just be terrible for apparently not realizing you hold out of stun all the time. By the way you describe your fighting style, you never go for guaranteed damage, you attempt to win the games by damaging the person through holds, and apparently you do not use your characters best attacks more than once, since you look down upon those who "spam".
You are basically choosing not to learn how to play the game and instead decide to play by your own rules. Anyone who does not follow your rules you look down upon, no matter how nice they treat you. A good example of this is that Christie player you fought. I had a chat with him and he felt pretty bad that you found it much more entertaining watching youtube rather than fighting him, since he "knew all the combo's and juggles". He said he tried to be nice and help you out but you just wouldn't listen. You think you have a code of honor and fight with respect, but you apparently look down on those that actually put time into learning the game and then complain about them behind their back.
As for the fighting system, I don't understand how anyone can possibly play fighting games and agree with this system. If DOA would be exactly how you wanted to, there would be even more guessing than rock/paper/scissors. Essentially everyone would be throwing random moves and never be truly rewarded at all.
6) Wrong. Holding out of stun is not the same as attacking. Holding out of stun should not even exist because it really does not fit with the logics of fighting games. It is not even a defensive tactic anymore, it is a comeback mechanism. You are always guessing if holds work, I don't think you seem to realize this. No one is ever actually certain if their hold will ever work. Just because you study someones pattern's does not mean the hold will ever work, it just means you are guessing. No matter how much you swear you know that guy is going to throw in a mid punch, it does not have to happen, so I honestly do not know where this whole "It is more skillful if you know it is going to happen" thing is coming from.