Firstly, when starting your game focus on developing your pieces so as to take control of the center of the board and free up your bishop's lines of attack. This means you will not move an A or H pawn on the first few moves. If you do start your game by moving an edge pawn, your opponent will know you are an amateur.
Secondly, always remember the importance of tempo and beat. No, this isn't a music lesson. To understand this concept better, consider this: How would you feel if your opponent got to do 2 or 3 moves in a row? Besides being totally unfair and against the rules, he could inflict some serious damage! Therefore, if you waste moves by moving pieces ineffectively, you will lose tempo and beat, allowing your opponent to get ahead of you in development. This concept of tempo and beat is so important that professional players will happily sacrifice a piece in order to get ahead of their opponents in this regard.
Another important chess strategy is to consider your opponent's reasons for moving certain pieces. Never allow yourself to become so absorbed in your own development that you forget to protect yourself from your opponent's advancement. It is important to defend and attack at the same time.
Many professional players try to take the initiative in attacking, rather than defending. The player who is attacking is the leader and dictator of the game. It isn't a nice feeling to be on the defensive all the time! Once you gain the initiative in attacking, do all you can so as not to lose that advantage - even if you have to sacrifice a piece or two. All things are relative though, and it is important to make sure that any sacrifice is worth it.
A final piece of advice is that if you want to improve your chess game, borrow a couple of chess books from the library and learn some of the well-known openings. Even if you are a newbie, you can give the impression that you are a seasoned professional (initially anyway!) if you can follow through on the first 4-8 moves of an established chess opening.
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