Chess is a mind bending game. Garry Kasparov, one of the greatest players to ever live, called it "mental torture." As an intermediate player myself I probably can't appreciate his statement very much, but I can help beginner level player understand how to get better. This stuff is from my own personal experience so take it with a grain of salt.

Before we dive right in I want to explain something to you. First you have to understand one thing. Computers are really good at chess. Even the most basic programs can destroy master level players, especially at fast time controls. The reason why computers are so good is because they essentially look at every move and countermove that's possible to a certain number of turns ahead. The problem is that human brains don't work like that. If you're lucky you can look at maybe 5 moves ahead in a few variations. Then how come we can still play chess well at all? The answer has to do with the fact that we can understand a position while all computers can do is calculate move by move ahead and figure out which move leads to the best outcome. While computers focus on moves, we focus on PATTERNS. In chess if you want to play well you have to get used to looking for patterns and motifs. My motifs I mean ideas such as: Keeping rooks on open files, keeping pawns connected,  etc. As a beginner, if you can get some of these motifs into your head, you'll be doing MUCH better. I know because that's what I did. That being said I'll focus on the opening here. 

The Opening:

There are so many openings out there that there's no point in memorizing all of the lines and variations. Instead, try to understand some basic principals: 

1.) Control the center:

2.) Develop your minor pieces (bishops and knights) and DON'T bring out the Queen unless you absolutely have to:

3.) Try not to move the same piece twice in the opening:

4.) Look out for your pawn structure:

4.) Try to castle your king

So let's take a look at #1- controlling the center

"controlling the center" is a big buzz phrase you hear all the time in chess. What does this mean and why you ask? The "center" is made of the 4 center squares on the chess board (e4, e5, d4, and d5). When people say control the center they mean have your pieces arranged so that they tend to either occupy or attack these squares. USUALLY it's a good idea to have the pawns in front of the queen and king occupy these squares, but in some opening like the sicilian, you have to attack these squares(meaning your pieces should be able to capture on these squares) with you knights and bishops (these are called the minor pieces). But why? Why is the center so important? The answer has to do with gaining an attack as opposed to being attacked. As with most games, you want to be the one controlling the game and forcing your opponents to defend. You can win games with just an amazing offense, but you can't with just an amazing defense. It's ALWAYS better to be on the attack. The center is great because in most cases, pieces in the center are at their maximum power. A bishop at the center can potentially attack 14 squares while a knight can attack 8. The closer to sides a piece is the fewer squares it can attack.Minor pieces in the center thus have the most options available to them in terms of attacking and moving allowing you to have options.

If your pieces can't use the center by controlling it with your pieces, you can at least try to stop your opponent from using it. In general try to stop your opponent from developing while you develop. This seems like a bit of abstract idea, but when you look at the games of good players or even a list of popular openings, you'll see that they all try to place their pieces to hold onto the center. From the center, you have a foothold to mount your attack. This brings me to my second point.

#2- develop you minor pieces (the knights and bishops) first

Your minor pieces are very important in the game. Although most beginners rely on mainly the queen as the only powerful piece, you want to have your minor pieces controlling the board before her majesty starts getting into action. Usually, it's a good idea to develop your knights BEFORE your bishops. One reason for this is because they can be developed first. Knights can jump over pawns while bishops need pawns along their diagonal to be moved before they can get involved. This makes them easier and faster to develop. Also note that knight moves to the center (like Nc3) directly control the center.The more quickly your pieces are out the better of you'll be.  Knights that are developed in the beginning are better protected against attacks and threats. When you develop your knight in the opening, it's usually on the third or 6th rank (rank means horizontal row such as the 2nd rank which is where all of white's pawns start off) where you usually have plenty of protection. From here your knight can support your pawns as well as prepare for attacks. On the other hand you need to think more carefully when you pull out your bishop in the opening, because it will usually land on a higher rank, 4th and 5th, so that it'll be further from the safety of your pieces and closer to your opponents army. If you're not careful, your opponent could use this against you by forcing you to move your bishop by threatening to capture it with another piece (usually a pawn). Although this isn't always bad, it does waste a move that you could have used to bring out more pieces and pull together an attack. 

After all of this being said you might wonder why it's a bad idea to develop the queen early? After all, if the queen is so powerful wouldn't it be a great tool to attacking your opponent with? That is true, but in the opening there are more pieces on the board than there will ever be for the rest of the game. The board is crowded with pawns in the center, bishops along diagnols, knights trying to control the center, etc. In this phase of the game where it's important to take out your pieces and have them ready to attack, the queen is an easy target! Any of the minor pieces or pawns would gladly move out to attack your queen and requiring you to waste time to protect it thus giving your opponent more time to improve his position.  This is why it's usually a good idea to wait until you have more pieces out before getting the queen involved.

#3: Try not to move the same piece twice:

This goes in line with the idea of not bringing out your queen early in the game. It's all about saving time. When you develop a piece try to put it in a place where it won't be forced to move again in the opening, especially because of pawn attacks and pushes. When you move any minor piece in the opening remember this general rule: Once a piece is out it should be in a good position for the first 7 or so moves. Use the next moves to bring out more pieces or anything else you can do to improve your position.

#4.) Pawn Structure:

Pawns really are the backbone of your army. Even they are technically the least valuable member of your army don't let these little guys fool you, they are EXTREMELY important throughout the ENTIRE game. These guys are all that's in the way of your pieces and your opponent's pieces. They will protect your king (and other pieces) from attack and support any offensive tactics you have planned. Since they are the least valuable piece as well as the most numerous, these guys can control a great deal of space and act as road blocks for your opponents pieces. Their low worth makes them ideal for blocking all of the other pieces who's worth is more throughout most of the game. I say most because as you all know pawns can be promoted to any other pieces (save the king). 

So then what to do with pawns? In the opening you generally want to have pawns advance in the center (usually the d-file and e-file pawn). Pawns form the backbone of your center, the base from which your pieces form an attack. The pawns are the walls while the other pieces are cannons and soldiers. Just like cemented and connected bricks are the strongest so too are the connected pawns. Pawns that are on separate (usually adjacent) files (files are vertical columns) are stronger than those on the same file because they can support each other. Remember, if your pawns aren't protecting each other your other pieces may have to pull the slack and stick to defending them. Whenever possible have pawns defending pawns. Pieces that are tied down to protecting your pawns or even other pieces are that much less useful since they can't do much. Therefore, KEEP PAWNS CONNECTED. 

-keep pawns from doubling on the same file

-keep pawns connected

-Try not have undefended pawns (pawns that need minor or major pieces (rooks and the queen) to defend them). 

#5.) try to castle your king

One of the ideas behind moving your minor pieces out is to clear your back rank (either the 1st or 8th rank depending on what color you are playing as) to activate your rooks and move your king to safety. Castling is often a great move both offensively and defensively. Offensively it brings out your rooks and allows them to finally get involved. Defensively it brings your king to safety behind a shield of pawns away from the center where it is more difficult to check or checkmate the king. Once the king is safe, you can finally focus on attacking your opponents position. This is basically where the middle game begins. I hope this was a somewhat useful guide. These little tips alone helped me get much better. When I get time I'll be sure to publish some tips for the middle game too. 

Of course, it's also important to keep in mind that every rule has its exceptions. Black plays Qg3 on the fifth move of the main line of the French Defense, Advance Variation. There are also several opening lines in which a knight is moved twice before other pieces are developed, such as the main line of the Sicilian Defense, the Rubinstein variation of the French Defense, and the Alekhine Defense.

But it's important to have all the rules down very well before you start introducing their exceptions.  It's true there are main lines out there that ignore any one of these principals, but until the beginner can implement these principals without having to think twice it wont be useful to point them out.

The center and utility (or speed) of development are probably the two golden rules of openings.  Even hypermodern openings don't ignore the center, they just treat it differently i.e. counterattack it so to speak.

2 things, that's why I specifically said "beginner's guide," of course there are exceptions but for most beginners these don't matter that much. The main idea is to first understand these concepts and work on them a bit at a time. 

Ok, hold it right there.

Kasparov did NOT view chess as "mental torture" in general. When specifically asked, Kasparov answered that he almost always feels very good playing chess, EXCEPT when he's made a blunder. You've taken a sound-bite of what he said, and to be honest I think it's misleading.

This is in contrast to other games where some professionals have admitted that they often hate the practice of it, the gruelling regimes they have to go through every day.

I have no comment to make on the rest of your thread but I do think it's a good thread... however I personally find learning openings by rote to be a soulless and completely unrewarding experience. I couldn't care less if i knew of no opening at all, just knew the fundamentals of what you should do and understood the typical openings in blitz. 

Well... I never emphasized memorizing the opening, just opening principals. I never memorize openings for the sake of memorizing, I like patterns and I stick to them. You might be right about kasparov but hey that's not the issue. 

very nice lesson for begginer's.I always wonder why Kasparov said that.I am sure it was about tortureing opponent's mind

Great for beginners indeed.

 I strongly agree. I taught myself chess, and I soon learned to win consistently I had to learn the principles of development. That meant losing many games, but I was losing games anyway because i wanted a quick attack instead of a well developed opening. Ha! I knew nothing else but attack and capture as many chessmen as possible.  When I played stronger players I couldn't determine what they were doing. At times it seemed as though they were playing a waiting game to see what I was going to do, but while I was attacking they were using my foolish moves to develop.

Learning the principles of development and recording my games, so I could analyze my the moves that permitted my opponent to crush me, were two very important progressive and positive decisions I made that improved my game.  Not only was that true then, but is true now. 

Nilish, You have put together some useful info for the beginner.