Lionel Messi Shares ChatGPT Chess Lesson With 517 Million Instagram Followers

Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi shared a chess-themed ad for ChatGPT with his 517 million Instagram followers on Wednesday, in a post that is bound to generate massive interest.

The world's second-most followed person on Instagram, behind only Cristiano Ronaldo, is shown in a video asking for chess instructions one move at a time. Within a few hours of being posted, the video had already racked up more than a million likes and 13,000 comments.

"Chat, you know my style. Show me a good chess opening, step by step," he says in Spanish. By the end of the clip, he is ready to try another.

The premise is explained in the caption. "I asked ChatGPT to teach me a chess opening that matched my style. It suggested Goat Horns."

The name plays on the "greatest of all time" label, which is frequently attached to Messi. However, as Chess.com has previously documented, AI models are known to give really bad chess advice, and top players are unlikely to approve of Black's suggested moves in the opening described as "Goat Horns": 1.e4 a6 2.d4 c6

"Goat Horns" is not (yet) an official chess opening, but with Messi introducing it to more than 500 million Instagram followers, it might just stick?

The new ad comes two weeks after OpenAI released their Intelligent UI, which is said to allow ChatGPT to provide more visual and interactive responses.

It follows an earlier collaboration between Messi and OpenAI ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In that campaign, he used ChatGPT to imagine his hair in Argentina's blue-and-white colors, encouraging supporters to try the image tool themselves.

Messi's post comes just one day after Bayern Munich used chess to promote its Champions League meeting with Arsenal. The German club shared an image on X depicting Bayern striker Harry Kane playing against Arsenal's Bukayo Saka, putting the two England teammates on opposite sides of the board ahead of their clubs' encounter.

Your move next, @arsenal. ♟️ https://t.co/EJU6QJa1hT

For Messi, this is also another appearance in a major advertising campaign centered around chess. In November 2022, shortly before the World Cup in Qatar, he appeared alongside Ronaldo in a Louis Vuitton campaign photographed by Annie Leibovitz.

Back then, it did not take long before fans identified the position as one of GM Magnus Carlsen's games against GM Hikaru Nakamura at Norway Chess in 2017.

Last week, the international fashion house returned to the chess theme with One Night Only actor Callum Turner playing a game against an unpredictable opponent.

Trunk Edition. Featuring House Ambassador #CallumTurner, the new collection by @Pharrell expresses a confident ease - precise yet relaxed, elevated through distinguished fabrics and enduring craft. Discover the creations at https://t.co/kZmyuOfKL0 #PharrellWilliams #LouisVuitton

Messi may want a second opinion on "Goat Horns," but chess could hardly ask for a bigger audience.