What should a newbie learn to do?

Is there a way to play better?

Play games with as much time as possible so you can think carefully.

Try to avoid losing your pieces and pawns at all costs. Before each move ask yourself if you are going to lose material.

Try to control the centre of the board with pawns and pieces.

Castle your king to safety in the corner every game.

Use all your pieces - they are like a team and must work together.

If you can capture pieces and win material then do it.

Try to make a plan - even if it's a bad plan it's better than having no plan at all. 

These are some basics which will help you achieve a reasonable level. To become very good you have to start to understand when you can break these basic 'rules'. 

Always check your intended move is no blunder before you play it.

https://support.chess.com/article/437-how-do-i-get-better-at-chess

 

Maybe worth doing lessons, drills etc

 

Take a look on the link for any tips. 

1. Learn the opening principles of chess. Google has a lot of information on this for free.

2. Learn the tactical motifs of chess- pins, forks, skewers, discovered attacks, ect. Google has a lot of information on this for free.

3 Learn the simple checkmates and endgame principles like promoting a pawn with a king.

4. Play games with time controls of days/move, or if Live chess 15|10 or longer. You need time to think about your moves!

5. After games, review them for your errors. Do you see any trends? This will give you more information on where to focus your future studies.

6. Solve chess puzzles frequently. This helps you seek tactical ideas in positions and trains you to find them in your own game positions.

Have a great chess adventure!