Do I really need to study openings ?

Is there really a need for anyone below 1800 to actually study openings and build an opening repertoire ?

At the moment it seems to me that all someone needs is good strategic and tactical analysis and openings seem to tunnel chess vision and fantasy.

The question is beyond my skill level which is really low but extends to the actual study one should follow up to 1800-1900.

I looked at your last 6 losses, and you are losing for the usual reasons that have nothing to do with openings.  Youre losing because...

Not following Opening Principles.

Missing simple tactics.

Hanging material.

Opening Principles:

1. Control the center squares – d4-e4-d5-e5

2. Develop your minor pieces toward the center – piece activity is the key

3. Castle

4. Connect your rooks

Tactics...tactics...tactics...

Pre Move Checklist:

1. Make sure all your pieces are safe. 

2. Look for forcing move: Checks, captures, threats. You want to look at ALL forcing moves (even the bad ones) this will force you look at, and see the entire board. 

3. If there are no forcing moves, you then want to remove any of your opponent’s pieces from your side of the board. 

4. If your opponent doesn’t have any of his pieces on your side of the board, then you want to improve the position of your least active piece. 

5. After each move by your opponent, ask yourself: "What is my opponent trying to do?"

I never asked about that. I actually tried to dodge that bullet, but to no avail.

You also did poor job "analyzing" the reasons I lose. All my loses have tactical blunders that cause the loss although I have winning positions. Please dont do blanket post or I m gonna report you for spamming.

This game, you hung your queen.

https://www.chess.com/livechess/game?id=2795372261

In this game, you hung your queen.

https://www.chess.com/livechess/game?id=2795303220

This game, you hung a rook.

https://www.chess.com/livechess/game?id=2789926686

This game, you didnt follow opening principles, and hung your queen.

https://www.chess.com/livechess/game?id=2777192113

In this game, you didnt follow opening principles, and hung material.

https://www.chess.com/livechess/game?id=2724245744

You may want to review your "winning positions"

"It is important for club players to build up a suitable opening repertoire." - GM Artur Yusupov (2010)

"... Review each of your games, identifying opening (and other) mistakes with the goal of not repeatedly making the same mistake. ... It is especially critical not to continually fall into opening traps – or even lines that result in difficult positions ..." - NM Dan Heisman (2007)

https://web.archive.org/web/20140627062646/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman81.pdf

"... I feel that the main reasons to buy an opening book are to give a good overview of the opening, and to explain general plans and ideas. ..." - GM John Nunn (2006)

"... the average player only needs to know a limited amount about the openings he plays. Providing he understands the main aims of the opening, a few typical plans and a handful of basic variations, that is enough. ..." - FM Steve Giddins (2008)

You must study openings to progress but study them slowly and with practice and you will win often also try to play rapid chess not blitz because playing too much blitz while learning is too bad. Try to play with humans and less with computers 

It depends on what is meant by "study openings" is the first post. Do you need to build a repertoire sub 1800 level? My answer is probably not. However, at least knowing what kinds of openings results in certain types of positions would be helpful at the least. Once you feel knowledgeable about opening principles and concepts you could "study" openings in a loose sense, but I would not go as far as to saying that someone needs to "study" openings seriously until at least 1800 (maybe even higher). 

I am eager to hear what 1800+ players responding in this forum have to say regarding opening study.

 I think for beginners, trying to master the basics like not blundering queens is more critical.

He was actually winning in most of these before he blundered.

Yes...but the end result?

In this thread, has anyone argued that studying openings will help with everything?

Since the OP seems to ignore good advice. I answer briefly to his original question. YES.

Some opening are sharp and require memorisation others are not so sharp and you can play on general principles.  It depends.

agree with above. I've returned to chess in the last couple of months after 25 years off. I have Zero interest in learning opening theory. I play 1. C4 only as white, and mirror this as black. I do the odd tactic on here but the best way to instantly increase your rating is to stop blundering. Every move choose 3 candidate moves each go and think through 3 or 4 subsequent moves. Just doing that will get you in to the 1700's. I'm probably close to my limit, but I think stick to the general opening rules you get shown as a kid, cut the blunders and at our level you'll never lose a game because of the opening, or at least the level of opponent means you'll always have a chance to stay in the game.

"... If you want to play competitively, then you must develop an opening repertoire. ..." - GM Patrick Wolff (1997)

I coached a very successful high school chess team with ratings in the 700-1500 range and found that knowing a few openings helps WHEN you know the kinds of middlegames that develop from them. How often have you seen players develop their pieces OTB, then sit back and start from scratch to develop a strategy?

For example, knowing that the Vienna and Bishop's Openings tend to lead to White launching a K-side Pawn Attack helps you focus on how you should develop as White.  Knowing the Caro-Kann and Slav D. try to get the Black QB past his Pawn Chain to f5 or g4 and that if White offers to trade his Good Bishop for that Bad Black Q-Bishop it's almost always worth making the trade and that, like the French Defense, Black usually attacks on the Q-side beginning with ...c5, is worthwhile.

Other than that, a serious study of Opening Principles is much wiser than concentrating on memorizing opening moves.

If you want to avoid studying openings but still want to play chess then try a few games of 960 chess. A bit weird setups at the beginning but after about 20 moves they usually look like normal gamex.

I study them

as a poor player (just look at my rating) but who has years of correspondence chess under my belt, I think that openings are important to a point.

1.  You need to understand opening concepts, as putting yourself in a bind on move 5 means you will struggle.  

2.  You need to understand endgames.   Many low rated players have issues even with doing a KR-K ending.  

3.  My biggest weakness is that I am still somewhat blind to attacks on me, and I am still improving my tactics.  

4.  You have to learn to be cruel to yourself and analyze yourself mercilessly.   A computer is good, a expert or master level player at your level might be better. 

5.  With openings, you need to at least identity a solid opening for white that you like, and responses to d4 and e4 as black.  If you know the concepts and say, the first six moves or so you will do well at the low level, and more importantly understand how to break down other players.  In fact, most of the games I won on Chess.com so far at low level has been just chasing the other side's queen around in the opening since players like to bring out the queen early and I get developed while they moved the queen 4 times.   That can make up for blowing tactics, which is my special skill.  

So learn a few openings to the first 6-8 moves, and understand what that opening is trying to do.   At low level I had been able to ride on the Bird train for a long time since I understood what it was trying to do and others didn't.