How to improve at chess for beginners

There are thousands of materials on development in chess and it seems quite challenging to filter the good from the best (not to mention the bad!). There are various levels of development and certain materials are appropriate for each stage.

Thankfully, going from beginner level (knowing how to move) to competent (being able to beat other beginners consistently) is quite easy! Development shouldn't be a capital intensive project. Here's a few hints on what's worked for me:

1. Get a good chess program with audio/video tutorials: Depending on your learning preference (i.e. auditory, visual or kinesthetic) this could be the best tool at your disposal for chess development. The choice of program should also have lots of practice material.
2. Focus on basic chess principles, laws, and concepts: Areas to work on include basic opening, basic endgames, basic checkmate patterns, the center, tactics, weaknesses, & outposts. You'll be amazed at your improvement.
3. Play with stronger opponents: It feels really good to win. Chances are you'll lose a lot of games playing stronger opponents, but it's far more important to have a champion's mentality in all your games - a loss is nothing more than an opportunity to learn :)
4. Have Fun: Pleasure is a far stronger motivating factor than pain. Enjoy what you do and you'll develop a lot faster.