Biggest contemporary players for openings given

I am thinking about building my opening repertoire by the study of contemporary grandmasters who are the best at the particular openings I'd like to include. Could you help me by indicating the players whose games are optimal to excell:

- Queen's Gambit Accepted as white

- Queen's Gambit Declined as white

- Slav as white

- Slav as black

- Caro-Kann as black

- French as black

I'll be grateful for all suggestions. (An information on good books about these openings is also much welcome)

Qga - Rublevsly / Sakaev Chess Stars book

Qgd - Topalov or Aronian - Sadler's old book

Slav as white - Aronian - Avrukh GM Repertoire

Slav as Black - Fressinet - Avrukh GM rep on the slav

Caro as Black - Anand - Houska's everyman book

French as Black - Meier - Eingorn's rock solid répertoire

QGA/QGD/Slav as White - Kramnik

Slav as Black - Unsure

Caro-Kann as Black - Petrosian, Botvinnik

French as Black - Korchnoi, Botvinnik

At your level, 1277, you shouldn't be studying opening books.  You'll try to cram all the theoretical stuff when you should be focused on Endgames, Tactics, Positional Play, etc, and when your 1250 opponent goes out of book on move 4, you'll be on your own anyway!

Thank you very much. I'm aware of the fact that I should invest 90% of my time to endgame and (mostly) to tactics. And so I do. The remaining time, however, I'd like to spend on analysing games in the openings I'd like to use.

There is a difference between going thru master games that happen to use openings you play, and studying openings.  For example, those books mentioned in post #2, they are too advanced for a 1200 player.

It's true all these books are too advanced (they are too advanced for me too). I think Van Sterren' FCO might probably be a better investment to start with.

Hello. My OTB rating is considerably higher than 1200 (for online games, sometimes, I "analyse" the board with 4-years old on my knees;-)). But, anyway, you're right to say that these books are to advanced for me and that Van Sterren is a good choice for me now (I have it on my "to be bought soon" list). And, yes, I will "go thru" the games of the players you mentioned, but not "study openings" ;-) Thank you very much.

Sadler's QGD book is an exception though. Lots of explanations.

Wow! Does it mean that Ivanchuk is:

a) a player who is very good at everything

b) a very good opening player

c) a player who is very good at these particular openings?

Btw, I am a big fan of Ivanchuk, also because of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZ_vyNyA81M

- Queen's Gambit Accepted as white

- Queen's Gambit Declined as white: Karpov

- Slav as white

- Slav as black: Botvinnik

- Caro-Kann as black: Karpov

- French as black: Morozevich, Botvinnik