Lionel Messi posted a video advertisement for ChatGPT to his massive social media audience this week, showcasing the AI tool's ability to teach chess openings. The footage features Messi requesting a chess lesson tailored to his playing style, delivered step by step through the platform. The post accumulated over a million likes and thousands of comments within hours of going live.

In the caption accompanying the video, Messi explained that he asked ChatGPT to suggest an opening matching his approach. The system recommended something called the Goat Horns, a name that plays on the 'greatest of all time' moniker frequently associated with the football star. The opening begins 1.e4 a6 2.d4 c6, moves that have not yet earned official recognition in chess tradition.

Chess.com has previously noted that artificial intelligence models tend to provide questionable chess guidance, and this particular opening demonstrates that pattern. Top players would likely question Black's suggested moves in the position Messi demonstrated. Nevertheless, with over 500 million Instagram followers now exposed to the Goat Horns, the unconventional opening could gain traction despite its dubious merit.

This advertisement follows OpenAI's recent release of new technology designed to make ChatGPT responses more visual and interactive. Messi has collaborated with OpenAI before, most recently in a campaign leading up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup where he used the platform's image tool to imagine his hair in Argentina's national colors.

Chess has become a recurring theme in major advertising campaigns featuring high-profile athletes. Messi previously appeared in a Louis Vuitton advertisement alongside Cristiano Ronaldo in November 2022, photographed for a chess-themed shoot. The fashion house has continued exploring chess imagery in its marketing, most recently featuring an actor playing an unconventional game.