Difficulties in finding a fitting repetoire.

At the moment I'm rated 1600 ELO in Standard, 1200 in Blitz, and I'm having a lot of trouble finding openings that suit my repetoire. I followed my mentors advice for a year and focused only on endgame and tactics (and it's done wonders playing openings that I don't like!), but I've always been getting positions I didn't like and then playing it out to the amorphous middlegame. My repetoire used to be:

As White:

Scotch Game

Bishop's Opening

Ruy Lopez (flipped back and forth between these three)

Fischer-Sozin Attack (against the Najdorf)

Yugoslav Attack (against the Dragon)

Panov-Botvinnik Attack (against the Caro-Kann)

Winawer Variation (against the French Defense)

As Black:

Caro-Kann Defense (This is the only opening I actually feel I know inside and out, because it was the first opening I read a book about.)

Slav Defense.

As a player, I think I'm fairly well balanced. I prefer open positions, but I don't like relinquishing material to obtain them. I don't mind playing theoretically equal positions (as I don't feel quite ready to understand that "theoretical 3 pawn advantage" in the Spanish Torture, or anything) so long as I'm comfortable with how the position results. Could anyone help me?

You said you prefer open positions yet you choose to play the Caro-Kann against 1.e4 which is actually a more closed position. Try the Sicilian or respond with 1...e5.

I can see why it's hard for you to find openings to match your repertoir since the diversity of responses you get after you play 1.e4 is staggering. You should stick to the Ruy Lopez in my opinion, only because during my OTB play, I found that the number of people who used the Bishop's Opening blundered really early on. So unless you know the theory well, then don't play it.

The Slav defense against a Queen's Gambit is still a little more closed in. Try playing the Gruenfeld. I think that should help a little more.

as white i also enjoy the scotch game. you should consider trying the italian game as well (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4). it has a lot of nice lines and attacking possibilities and since you played the ruy lopez, scotch, and bishop's opening this one is pretty similar to those three in some respects.

as black i normally play the modern sicilian (1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 which does have a lot of theory behind it but is a great defense and can catch your opponent off guard with some nice counter attacks) and the indian game (1. d4 Nf6) which is quite flexible and can be transposed to a few different openings depending on where your opponent goes.

Ah, my mentor gave me the Caro-Kann, which accounted for a lot of the balancing in my mindset (though I still don't prefer it). Thank you for both of your suggestions, I think I'll stick to the Ruy for now. I somewhat abandoned it because my tactics and endgame were weak, leaving me simplifying early to avoid complications and then losing in an endgame. Now that things are different, maybe it's time to give it another shot! The Gruenfeld definitely looks interesting, and I'll give that a shot as well. As a chess player, Fischer was a hero of mine, I'll try to look at his games. Both of you suggested the Sicilian, and that also looks nice, the Dragon Variation in particular. One thing I didn't like about 1.d4 Nf6 was the Trompowsky Attack, as silly as that may sound.

Off to find a little material and give them a spin!

Studying openings or establishing a repertoire is kind of a waste below 2k. Just get an idea of the opening you want to learn, and pick a few moves day by day and try to understand the theme behind it; no need to memorize tomes or do indepth research, because 9 times out of 10, your opponent wont play the lines you have memorized. Therefore, it is logical that you will get more mileage out of studying your tactics and endgames, which are pertinent to ALL games, irrelevant to how your opponent plays.

Yeah, for the most part I focused on that. I still am, but I was just hoping to find something that leads to positions I can play well, and ones that I actually enjoy playing.

we are almost similar in handling the white pieces. I prefer the bishop's opening with double king's pawn opening. I play the Grand Prix Attack against sicilian so that I won't need to worry about any Najdorf's or Dragons.

Have you tried the Petroff Defence against King's Pawn Openings

QGD Tarrasch Variation against Queen's Pawn Openings

both can lead to an open game

Mine I have based on what I am familier with.

White:

Italian Game (all variations)

Ruy Lopez Exchange Variation

Danish Gambit against people who like closed positions.

3 d5 gambit in petroff

Wayward Queen extended edition for a nasty win.

Black:

Unusual opening (in any order, g6, Bg7, c5 Qa5, d6, Nd7 Regardless of white's move)

KID/Grunfeld against known D4

Petroff against newer players as white.

what an interesting repertoire you've got. I have just one question: you said "newer players" you mean "newbies"?

the Petroff defence can hold itself even against stronger players. Though you have to be very very careful. Its an open explosive game!

I try and be as varied as possible. Being unpredictable yet protected. I play the petrov when someone only knows a few lines, otherwise I will go my unusual opening.

Maybe! My preferences haven't changed too much, but I'm hoping to get the title of Candidate Master before I graduate from university, so I've matured a little and settled on openings that are both sound, enjoyable, and strong. To that end, the Caro-Kann is still my mainstay against 1.e4, while the Slav still holds up against 1.d4. I never thought I'd settle on the Spanish as my main choice, but I'm beginning to undertake a serious study of it, so hopefully it will pay off!

Thanks! :3 A player is only as good as their effort, after all.

It seems to me that problem is less your repertoire and more your transition from the opening to the middlegame.  This is a very normal road block for the developing player. Instead of taking up new openings  at this point my suggestion:

example

Slav Defense -

Exchange Variation - find games where black wins vs early cxd5. Copy them into a database. Make notes on typical pawn formations, piece placement etc. Look closely at decisive games for either color.

If you do this for each of your openings and each variation, you will be a formidable opponent.

good repertoir you got going there, keep up the hard work... but dont just memorize jargons.a trick i use often to prepare for people like you is pick lines that are not main lines and then test them with computers until i have surprises up my sleeve, it works!

I'm amused at the sudden necromancy performed on this thread from seven or eight months in the past, but the advice being given now is still something that I value greatly. Thank you so much!

I've been doing an intensive study of my openings, but the real study is being put into my tactics and endgames. I've been working through puzzlebooks and Silman's Endgame Course, of (to make a minor pun) course. Hopefully I'll be able to get my close friend, a FIDE master, to be my coach - that'd be a dream!

Why don't you try 1.d4 c6 for black? it can transpose to either a slav or a caro-kann.