If one is to become a true chess master one has to take chess lessons to learn proper chess strategy. You have to learn to crawl before you can walk. Once you have a grasp of the basic moves and functions of the game pieces, you have to change how you think about game playing. Playing chess takes a lot of concentration if you really want to master chess strategy. The more chess lessons one gets the more your skill will improve. Obtaining chess lessons from a seasoned professional is the main way to go if you would like to make a presence in the chess world.
True chess strategy is not learned overnight. One has to master it playing game after game for years. But taking the right chess lessons with the right teacher can speed up that process. One may have a teacher than goes slow so you can fully understand not just the game, but the movees you are making. Other teachers may move fast so you will have to get a grasp on moves and chess strategy faster. Either approach will work, just depends on what your learning curve is. Find a teacher you know will work with you at a speed you are comfortable with learning about the game.
During some chess lessons, you should learn about the pieces and their movements. Putting the right moves together in a specific sequence will allow you to better pick your opponents moves apart and take down key pieces. This is great chess strategy, learning how to think a certain number of moves ahead so you can almost predict what moves your opponent will make. This type of chess strategy is what the military tries to do. They try to predict their opponents moves ahead of time and base a strategy aorund that. The same goes for chess strategy. SO start thinking like a military leader.
One may ask why they need chess lessons to learn about chess strategy. Well, if you would like to have any chance of winning a game, then you know how important it is to learn. Your friends might have learned concepts or have been playing a lot longer than you. So taking chess lessons is very important to truly understand the game. It takes a little more than just moving your pieces around a board and taking down your opponent. There is important chess strategy one much know even to take advantage of the simplest board moves.
So chess lessons would make any novice or expert into a better player. Find a teacher that you know has mastered the game. One that can show you tips and tricks you or no one else may know about. This is the tru key to chess stratefy, knowing moves no one else does. So taking chess lessons is nothing to be ashamed of, everyone has to learn one way or the other. You can take chess lessons on line or find someone close that you know has a grasp of chess. So sometime soon, you will be the one saying checkmate to your friends.