[GrandmaStabone]

D-bag,

I was in a similar situation last year when some friends and I picked up chess as a hobby. We attracted a few other players who were mid-level beginners and consistently dominated us. I started reading some books and playing online and within a month I was crushing these players.

With beginning players (i would define this as casual players or even "experienced" players who have never attempted to look into successful chess strategies), all it takes is a rudimentary knowledge of how to play strategically to be a big winner. In a game with inexperienced players, it tends to be a series of traded pieces and accidental losses until one players side is so decimated that a checkmate is glaringly obvious. There is little planning, just a "get all his pieces" mentality.

With any even low-grade experienced players, it will take quite awhile. Basically, even the "bad" players who are aware of correct chess openings, defenses, and concepts will probably beat you for quite awhile.

A great book to pick up is "Winning Chess" series from Everyman Chess. Read the first book in the series and you will beat all of your friends.

As a side note, I enjoy Chess as a side-hobby to poker because of the sharp contrast. There is absolutely NO luck in chess. The player who plays better wins everytime, period. If you lose, its because you played incorrectly. Its a nice palatte cleanser after a session of bad beats.