MelvinGarvey wrote:
@magipi is right, except it's the pre-beginner stage. One becomes a beginner once they can play games without distributing free candies around.
I understand that this is a half-joke, but still it is too harsh. A player is ready to play chess when he/she knows how the pieces move and knows most of the rules (but not necessarily things like en passant, that is too hard). Playing without 1-move blunders come many-many games later. It is not very hard, but neither it is trivial.
Don't encumber your eggs. Diversify. Create many small threats all over the board and use them to your advantage.