inquisitor wrote:

I'm an adult beginner, and my experience with going to chess clubs has been
frustrating -- the better chess players are self-absorbed and won't give the
time of day. At most, they say something like "there are really good books
on chess", but the books I've picked up use obscure terminology or the
vaguest of references and don't make any sense.

They are right. Get some books or borrow.
Learn simple endings first thing:

1. Set only a queen and a king of opposite color
on the board (just 2 pieces). Now stalemate the
king with the queen.

2. Checkmate the lonely king with your
king and queen.

3. Checkmate the lonely king with your king
and two rooks (perhaps the simplest is to
get your own king out of the way, so that
the two rooks can do the job easily).

4. Checkmate the lonely king with your king
and one rook only. Here you will learn the principle
of opposition, when a king acts a kind of like a rook
against the other king, when the OTHER king
is ON THE MOVE.

5. (Optional :-) Checkmate the lonely king
with your king and two bishops.

6. (Optional :-) Checkmate the lonely king
with your king, one bishop and one knight.

7. (Optional :-) Stalemate the lonely king
with your king and two knights.

*****

!!!! 8. Learn the K+P versus K ending.
You must know when and how it is possible
to promote your pawn, when possible.
Once again the opposition of kings is
the key notion.

etc. I can't write a book here. Do go and
get some.

Good luck,

Wlod