i consider myself a beginner and although i understand where you are coming from, the idea that i should completely ignore the opening when it is just as important as every other part of the game. obviously i see no reason in remembering hundreds of openings, but studying opening theory and the openings you use doesnt take up huge amounts of time and is completely worth it. just my views on this.
chess mistake #1
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i think that all areas are differently important by your unique strategy, so you're right about the idea about not working with multiple endgames, i think you should find one that works and build your strategy around it
True: all the openings have the same goal: prepare for battle (therefore, getting your pieces on the field). So, it is pretty useless to learn by heart openings that, most of the time, don't fit your style.
Anyway, shouldn't we study the middlegame first? I mean, if you have a crappy middle game, you won't make far enough to reach the endgame.
Here you can find chess openings in google so you can find more :
http://www.google.nl/search?q=chess+openings
The same link for the middle game :
http://www.google.nl/search?hl=nl&q=chess+the+middlegame+&oq=chess+the+middlegame+&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=12&gs_upl=225361l233788l0l241488l11l11l1l0l0l0l224l1059l7.2.1l10l0
and endgames :
http://www.google.nl/search?hl=nl&q=chess+the+endgame&oq=chess+the+endgame&aq=f&aqi=g-vL1&aql=&gs_sm=12&gs_upl=108643l113034l0l118200l9l9l0l0l0l0l92l692l9l9l0
or look here in or fil in what your looking for :
at the bottom you find more pages.
For what it is worth, I have a mate who is good at chess and he is helping me a little. He gave me the same advice, start from the end adn work back.
There is no point going into the endgame a knight and pawn up if you cannot convert it.
Visualization and following the principles of the middlegame will help you in the middlegame. Principles- coordinate and mobilize your pieces.
Oh yah, I slightly mispoke in the first comment. Yes, you should also do some middlegame prep and some opening prep. However, when preparing for openings, don't try to be the ECO by memorizing all lines. Instead, try to focus on a few. When you study openings, learn the fundamental ideas behind it. Most amateurs don't do this.
Common mistake: Player who are not yet master level seem to spend all their time memorizing openings. This is bad as they don't try and improve their overall game. Most players who are not masters have endgame skills that are not good enough for their playing level. However, they do well in the opening.
Instead: You should start by mastering the endgame and improving your visualization skills. Then, work on the middle game. Finally, put heavy preparation into the opening. My coach says this to me and he is getting trained by a grandmaster!