# Louis Vuitton: Victory Is a State of Mind

> A paid chess photograph drew 72 million likes across three Instagram launch posts.

- Owner: Louis Vuitton
- Kind: Campaign
- Sector: Fashion & accessories
- Seed date: 2022-11-19
- Peak date: Week of Nov 20, 2022
- Date basis: Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.
- Spread Score: 44 (Notable, provisional), v1.2
- Mechanics: Pairing, Creator relay, Platform jump, Press loop, Response chain

## Summary

Louis Vuitton launched a paid Messi-Ronaldo chess photograph before the World Cup. Chess players decoded the position and meme accounts remixed it. WWD reported 72 million Instagram likes across three placements; attributable sales were not disclosed.

## Timeline

- 2022-11-19 — Louis Vuitton / Cristiano Ronaldo / Lionel Messi (Instagram) — Louis Vuitton and both footballers released Annie Leibovitz’s chess photograph.
- 2022-11-19 — Peter Heine Nielsen / Magnus Carlsen / Troll Football (X) — Chess players identified the position, while Troll Football contrasted the players with their fans.
- 2022-11-19 — GothamChess (YouTube) — GothamChess published the 16-minute video Messi And Ronaldo Play Chess.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/louis-vuitton-messi-ronaldo-chess

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Louis Vuitton: Victory Is a State of Mind.” Case HIS-00617. Spread Score v1.2: 44/100. Updated 2026-10-14. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-00617