I know there's been quite a few posts on "how to get better" in chess recently but I'm not sure this specific question has been addressed:

I'm a high class B player (I have actually briefly gone over 1800 too) in OTB (USCF) play.  I have beaten some experts and even a master or two and I really feel I have the ability to get to that level myself (not sure about above 2200, but I can certainly see at least getting to over 2000).  I'm currently spending a lot of time in my endgames and tactics as I feel that those two areas are my weak link.  In terms of openings though, I feel I play very well with certain set-ups (I'd say above my rating), but when I find myself in a pawn structure / set-up that I'm unfamiliar with, I play at a level well below my rating.  

So my question is: should I in a sense "back track" and try to learn different/new openings (i.e. the ones I'm not good at)?  Or should I try to master further the ones I know and I'm good at?  What would be most useful for me in my quest to "Master/Expert-hood"?  

Any help/suggestions would be much appreciated!!

hey i am just a boy but when you get to the end turn on your brain and think about moves...if you have good start then practice your end...

 IMHO every serious player should have some pet openings, like lines they could play by the ear. So you should have some kind of deep repertoire, and if that means you need to go deeper in your current openings, then do so.

However, the most important thing is enjoying them. If you've been playing the french exclusively for 2 years (like me) and after a point just the thought of 1...e6 makes you sick to you stomach, then of course there's no point in insistence. At that point you should sail to fresh lands and hope for the best. 

It really sounds to me like you're arrived at the place where you need to focus on an opening repertoire. (I'm at a similiar place myself) It may well be the primary component in your quest for 2000. 

Have you gone over the game scores for your losses? How did you get to those unfamiliar set-ups? What are the unfamiliar set-ups? The weakness needs to be corrected somehow. Also, Soltis' Pawn Structure Chess is an excellent book (hard to find an algebraic edition though :(  that might help you find your way in some less familiar situations...

I was in a similiar position myself. Now I have lines, mainly pet lines, against most openings. I used to hate playsing Vs the french, now I play e4 e6 c4 d5 cxd5 exd5 Qb3!? , throwing most french players right out of book.

In summary, you need to have an idea of what to do and play and what you are aiming for against EVERY major opening at least. Im not necessarily talking about learning specific lines, although in your quest to 2k that will be useful, im talking about just generally knowing what to do.

Go 10 moves into openings and understand the various tendencies of those openings. It's what I've been doing and i'm 13-2 on this account (i'd be 13-1 but my sister forfeited one of my games cuz she was pissed off at me)

Everyone has some type of position or pawn structure they have trouble with, generally because they lack experience and understanding of it.  To improve your play in those lines, check the ECO codes (for example, the French Winawer is from C17 - C19, and the double-KP openings run from C20 - C99). Using the codes, look up master games in a database and play over them - the WHOLE games.  This will let you see how masters handle the positions you have trouble with, and which plans often work and which never do!

As an added bonus, you will see how they go about actually winning the game after securing an opening advantage, which is very helpful to know. 

Thank you all for your feedback.  Great stuff!  

So, to be more specific with my question:  what would you do in my situation?  I play 1)c4 mostly with white and I'm also comfortable with d4 openings with a k-side fianchetto (Catalan, I play the fianchetto variation vs the KID, etc). I'm pretty clueless when it comes to double king pawn openings or the open Sicilian etc.  Should I spend time learning this stuff (lots of theory there!!!) and start going over master games, play blitz with them, play them in OTB games (and risk losing and going further away from 2000)???  Or should I "go deeper" into the lines/variations in the English for example??  

With black, against 1)e4 I've always played the Caro-Kann and have done very well.  Should I abandon it and start playing 1)...c5 or 1)...e5 in order to learn these structures and openings?  It'll mean a lot of time investment on my part and I do have a family and a job etc...  

That's what I'm struggling with...With only a certain amount of time in my hands, I need to prioritize and focus on one OR the other...I don't want to be a "Jack of all trades; yet master of none" but I hate having these "holes" in my chess understanding too...  I feel they might come back to haunt me and put a ceiling in my growth and quest for a 2000+ rating...

Thanks again in advance for your feedback...

 I'd go deep with the english and caro kann.