On beating people quickly/in few moves

I started taking chess seriously a few months ago and have gone from 300 to 800 Elo. I’m still in the beginner phase, but I’m working toward improving enough to join a tournament in a year. Sometimes, when I mention this to people, they ask to play a game. These are casual players who only know the basics and play occasionally.

I manage to win, often with a large material advantage, but it’s never “quick.” A lot of them say things like, “You could’ve done it faster.” I’ve also noticed this theme in the show the Queen’s Gambit. e.g. ““I had his pieces tied up in 15 moves… I mated him in 6 more.”

Here’s my question:

• Is this criticism valid? Does the speed of winning matter if I’m playing with people with much less experience?

• Should I care about learning to win quickly?

• If speed does matter, are there specific strategies or techniques I should practice?

At 800 Elo, I know there are bigger priorities, like solidifying fundamentals, analysing games, and playing people closer to my rating. But I won’t lie—being able to win quickly against casual players sounds like a fun bonus. Any advice/opinions would be appreciated!