In your opinion, when..

In our Sunday paper is Shelby Lyman on Chess in which there is always a problem for the beginner.  My opinion of a beginner must not be the same as his, because some of those problems seem difficult for what I consider to be a beginner.  In your opinion, when does a beginner graduate from being a beginner?

White will always be the beginner

That's not fair answering my question with a question, but I always thought of a beginner as someone who has just learned the laws, moves of the chessmen and still struggling with what to do next, such as, push a pawn or what? But it seems liie a fine line as to when a person is not any longer a beginner. 

I like your humor.    

There's a difference between being a beginner and simply being quite bad at chess. There's also a difference between the average chess player and someone who calls his playing strength "average"

And a difference between considering youself a strong player and being a strong player

I agree with what you wrote, but that does not answer my question. Yes, one may not be a beginner, but a very weak player, but somewhere there must be a point where he/she is not considered a beginner.  Such as, learning to drive.  We usually think once a person graduates from a driving permit by passing the final driving test and receiving a driver's license he is considered a driver. Not a stockcar race driver, but a driver no less.  

Yes, isn't it true. I remember a man that joined a small chess group I was in once.  He came in telling how he was once in a chess tourament. As it turned out he was in a neighborhood type tournament. He didn't last long in the group.  

Then there was a man I met in a library as I sat a chessboard waiting for anyone that would play. He asked if I was waiting on anyone, and I said no and asked him if he played.  He only answered, "Some."  He beat me all four games.  I held my own until the endgames.  He was much better in the endgames.  His some proved to be devastrating to me. 

Yes, this idea of a driver's license vs. a chess "license" has been keeping me awake as well. I don't know yet how to compare the two.

I'd say your a beginner until you win at least three times against an opponent of 1800 or better by executinging and caring out a plan and not by luck.

Which I haven't managed to do even once yet.

Wow, that is very stringent. Isn't that sort of saying one isn't a driver until he/she has driven through New York City during the rush-hour?  If that be the case, many chess players are hopelessly beginners.

I know, I asked for your opinion, and that is your opinion. I guess I passed, because I once beat a 2000 by very determined planning and execution. I could beat him about 1 out of nine times.  I have no rating. 

If drivers are undecided like chess players, they'd cause an accident at every second junction

Traffic blunders! 

I had one this weekend! Ended up in a ditch.

1. Car to J9??

My car is supposed to move like a rook and it ended up more like a knight.

Now we are getting somewhere.  Yes, one can know these things and not ever become a strong player, yet is beyond the beings a beginner. Back to relating this to driving. One can know how to maneuver a curve, drive on ice, parallel park, etc., yet not be able to drive a truck on the ice-highway in Alaska.

Defining a when a beginner creases being a beginner in many cases is as difficult as defining when one enters the middle game.  No two games are ever exactly alike. 

I can relate to that!  

Yes, something like that, dropping pieces left and right. Rd4?? Nxd4 which leaves some indentation to the side of the rook

1400-1600

This would explain why someone writes that being a beginner help is needed, yet when checking the person's rating it is in this range. To me this is not at beginner. Not a strong player, yes, but not a beginner.  I suppose the higher one's rating is the beginner level raises with his/her rating of a beginner. I wonder, do GMs look at C-players as beginners?

On the scale of everyone in the world who plays chess, a Class C player is pretty darn good. Even on the scale of people who play seriously enough to join OTB tournaments, it's an average player.