People are mocking The Queen's Gambit board game for everything from the bizarre branding to the strange rules, after realizing it's "not even chess."

The Netflix show stars Anna Taylor-Joy as the protagonist, Beth Harmon, who grows up in an orphanage in the 1950s.

She develops a talent for chess, and goes on to win multiple tournaments, while battling addiction issues.

The hit show, released last year, scooped 11 Emmy Awards and while a second season was ruled out, fans can now get their hands on a boardgame inspired by the series.

A shopper spotted the box, entitled "Netflix The Queen's Gambit The Board Game," with a promo photo of the show on the cover.

Twitter user @bigdybbukenergy shared a snap to the site on Saturday, saying: "Can't help feeling like there's already a name for this."

Their post has amassed more than 550,000 likes, as the title confused people, who wondered why the game wasn't simply called "chess."

However, another fan shared a photo of the back of the box, revealing an intricate set of rules which bear little resemblance to the classic game featuring black-and-white pieces.

can’t help feeling like there’s already a name for this pic.twitter.com/ehMLNv3yl2

The game states: "Wonder what it would be like to experience chess like the extraordinary Beth Harmon?

"Beth's ability to envision chess moves on her ceiling enabled her to clear her opponents' pieces from the board and defeat them.

"In The Queen's Gambit the Board Game you compete with other players to claim pieces—and points—from the board. Each turn, you can move your "Gambit" like a different chess piece.

"But you'll have to plan ahead like Beth if you want to outwit your opponents and win the game!"

I was not ready for these rules pic.twitter.com/WQfFe9D28o

Further instruction reveals players' turns are planned three moves in advance, via cards, which are revealed one by one.

And there isn't a full chess set, merely four pieces resembling a rook, along with tokens and playing cards. Online website Board-game.co.uk is selling the game for $21.15 (£15.99.)

The influence of other games prompted more derision from people, who compared the Netflix game to an adapted version of checkers.

@Infamous_Mask asked: "Why didn't they just call it checkers? Smh." While @Heartless_Lyn simply replied: "Checkers?"

pic.twitter.com/Q3GfYRMqJQ

DaMonkey wrote: "I can only hope it's a chess based drinking game?"

Sean Porio pointed out: "If you look at the game/rules, it's actually not chess... for some reason."

Zplerhop fumed: "They're trying to make me play a more complicated but stupider version of chess and I'm not here for it."

"The insane thing is that it actually *isn't* just chess, somehow," @bulbafren wrote.

Sean Cuevo joked: "I can't wait for the Netflix adaptation of The Queen's Gambit: The Board Game."

Aristotle tweeted: "The Queen's Gambit boardgame is not chess, which is terrible."

Kevin Forbes said: "Oh it's even worse. It's not chess. All they had to do was make an official boardgame for a show that is all about chess. A boardgame that should have been a really nice-looking chess set. And they failed at it."

Future Luke queried: "So this is a board game about playing a board game.. why? Like inception of board games.."

Tess said: "I wish chess was real."

Is it this game? pic.twitter.com/Iip5Vf7vMS

Donal Brannigan joked: "It looks similar to the board game from that musical called Chess."

While Ian David Tinnion added: "Take a very involved game like chess and make it even more complicated. Stick to snakes and ladders people."

While some even shared memes showing the character Beth playing simple children's games, including Connect Four and Operation.

Newsweek reached out to Netflix and @bigdybbukenergy for comment.

Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters