I need to know some openings so I don't burn the clock right from the beginning.
There is no reliable way to avoid that. People will play all kinds af weird stuff against you. Especially at your level, chances to play a long book line are small. That is a good thing, because long book lines tend to take you into middlegames you don't understand.
I agree with Sred. However, you might consider the following strategy: as white play d4. This avoids having to learn all the variations of the Sicilian, which, frankly, is a chore. Instead, you tend to end up playing the Queen's Gambit, the King's Indian or variations on those. The important thing is to feel comfortable with the sorts of positions they lead to and what you're supposed to be aiming for as white.
As black, you might consider the French Defence against e4. It's reasonably solid, doesn't have too many variations and it's surprising how often your opponent won't know it particularly well.
Hello, all. I would like to settle into 2 or 3 openings and I am (obviously) not high rated. What would experienced players recommend as white, with either e4 or d4, and what opening lines as black against either e4 or d4? I don't want to get into studying tons of openings, but I need to know some openings so I don't burn the clock right from the beginning. I have MCO 13, so I can look up and study whatever I settle on, but I don't want to waste a lot of time on lines that are crazy agressive, or full of pitfalls. What do you think? Thanks!