...a chess match?

In this age of political correctness, I believe it's time to recognize how insulting and insensitive it is that many in the national spotlight insist on using the phrase, 'it is like a chess match' to describe any sort of competition.  Those of us who play chess, live chess, and breathe chess know that the vast majority of the general public are not smart enough to play chess, and yet we are maligned by this unfortunate and insensitive cliche.  Chess players unite. 

I agree! lol, I suppose they equate the political sparring to the battle on the board...even the best debate team could not deal with a chess match (unless they were chess players toooooo)

No need to insult the "general public." Just because someone can play chess well doesn't neccassarrily mean that he is smart. Besides, when people use the phrase "like a game of chess" or "like a chess match,"  they're only saying that there is some kind of strategy or planning involved. It doesn't have to match every aspect of a chess game. 

The vast majority of the general public are smart enough to play chess- most just want to devote their time to something else, for whatever reason.

But I do totally agree with your main point.

The metaphor "X is like a chess match" is (for almost all values of X used in this snowclone) flawed. War especially is not like a chess match-- chess is a game played with friends for fun, and war is nigh on the opposite of that. I could probably beat Gen. Robert E. Lee in a chess match, and he could probably beat me with a cudgel.

I wouldn't say the metaphor is outright insulting, though. It just makes me cringe a little when it's used in an especially egregious way.

i could beat robert e lee with a HK417 and a very large machete.

If you consider the way most of us play chess, to say that an event is a "chess match" would mean that the event is filled with blunders.

The term "poltical correctness" is normally invoked by bigots who revile it, and by "celebrities" who have said something stupid and have seen their income stream dry up.

I'm not sure who these people think is enforcing "pc," but there are plenty of times that I've been around people and wished there were PC Police to shut them up.

What's the difference between being politically correct and being polite? 

Oh, I think I know why I don't like this metaphor now. It's not so much the wrongness as it is the unoriginality.

Check this quote out (The Boredom of Haruhi Suzumiya, Nagaru Tanigawa):

"Koizumi turned to me for salvation, looking like a rookie German officer who'd recieved a direct order from the Furher himself to capture the Supreme Allied Commander with a single squad on the European Western Front during the waning years of World War II."

Never heard that one before, eh? If someone was to write:

"Finally, it's finished," Dr. Augbrian said to himself. He tensely pressed the power switch on his creation and watched as it beeped to life and its LED-light eyes turned on.

"Robot! Go make me a cool glass of lemon ice tea, and be sure to cure a major disease while you're at it!" The researcher was entirely ready to rule the new machine-filled world.

So when the metal monster stood up, said in a monotone voice "Bow before me, mortal," and used Dr. Augbrian's lab equipment to fashion a working 2500 V railgun in the first 50 milliseconds of its existence, the gibbering scientist felt exactly like Kasparov after he had found himself losing the chess match of the century against Deep Blue.

That'd be a lot less cringe-worthy, right?

the difference between being impolite and politically incorrect is the disrespect is directed towards something that one is born with/has no control of the matter.

The simile isn't either, however the statement that not all people are smart enough to play chess is really snobby. The vast majority of the "public" (wtf is this phrase supposed to mean here anyways?) probably contributes more to society than you.

I don't even get the point of singling out this phrase anyways. Announcers all pretty repeat the same 10 sayings over and over again for years. (differential instead of difference/indisputable evidence/etc.)

laziness on their part.

Is someone preventing you from saying what you want to say? How has that mysterious force called political correctness affected your life?

When you're into chess, it makes you cringe, for sure! I cringe when I hear people say, "My philosophy on life is...", and it's just some stupid cliche

Another thing is, that chess gets too much credit! These football games going on today, are a great example. Every announcer on earth says, "It's a chess match between the two coaches", when I imagine, it's a lot more difficult to coach a bunch of two, or three hundred-pound millionaires to play some game, than it is to play chess

I don't like that one either.

Ye   Just because there is an instance of when someone has actually need to think ahead, they immediately start to compare that process to playing a chess game.  I don't find it aggrevating but rather funny. ( since -- they probably have no idea) 

And also amusing:  When someone is using his/her brain vs. another one, they love to say: "You see while everyone plays checkers I am playing chess"....the funny thing of course is they have never played chess...