How hard is it to learn Java coding? I'm thinking of learning this as a hobby, mostly. I'm not really planning to study 2-3 years to become a Java guru for employment etc. Can I learn it through courses on the Internet, or do I have to go to a college or university? Example: making a chess game in Java with correct rules and such, but w/o sounds and graphics, will this take a long time to learn?
Check the Sun Java tutorials. Search for "java tutorials" on google and the first few links should contain one from sun.com. You may want to install an IDE such as Eclipse or Netbeans. Also, look for object oriented programming concepts if necessary.
This Java Swing Tutorial could be a good starting point for a beginner. This one also could be used as a code reference.
If you already have some experience in coding, I'd think that it'll not take long to understand java. Otherwise you may need a month or two before you can do 'simple' chess game.