How does one study an openning in a clear way that it remains in one's mind for the rest of one's li

to remember exact moves is like trying to grasp a handful of water. find out where the river is going and put your boat in, you can steer as you go. 

Look thru an opening manual to decide which produce positions that you would prefer to play. Then play them in your correspondence games. But instead of continuing from the previous move each time, instead replay the game from the beginning every time it is your turn to move. This repetition, plus the analysis you do for moving each time which will teach you why each of your moves made sense, makes it easy to retain your games in memory.

I learned 46 games at once this way in Postal Chess, during one tournament of it.  And it is really the most effortless way I have ever found to learn my openings. However, I've mentioned it to others a few times in the past, and generally players seem to be too lazy to do it. btw, I was a postal Chess master in several organizations (such as APCT, the strongest postal org in the USA)  etc; so be assured this Is something that works. I like to think of it as one of the "Chess Secrets" people are always searching for, but apparently don't realize it.

Another thing that helps, once you start to get a grip on your openings; to play a lot of blitz games with them. Afterward, look-up to see where you went astray or could not recall the "book". Then you learn it a move or two deeper each time. Blitz is also a very good way to see what unusual ideas may be used against you by the other player. If something good shows up, adopt it for your own. Play it then, to see what others do with it. It will either give them trouble too ... or they will show a way to deal with it.

I see some good things here above and also some bad things.

What you have to know about openings:

<1200: 3 golden rules: (1. develop your pieces; 2. Kingsavety; 3. control of the center)

<1400: The first 5, 6 moves of your play and the ideas behind. (if I ask to some players what they exactly want with 1.e4 they can't explain that. If you can, you are a much better player...)

<1600: The most important lines in openings and the most important plans from both sides. (this is very important, because you know for what you have to play if your oponent does a stragne move)

<1800: Now it's also necessairy to know some less frequently lines (or in each way that you have seen it, so you get the feeling of the opening).

<2000: Knowing more sidelines and more looking to important games.

<2200: Here it is necessairy to know more openings at one move (for example, scottish and spanish with wite), so you can flush your oponents who prepare their matches.

<2500: Finding some quite new lines, which aren't played aerlier.

How you can study them:

Playing games from grandmasters. (with playing I don't mention "Hold in the cursor and watch", but also thinking. Why did (s)he that move, what was his plan and is this the right plan (grandmasters are not always right!!!)

Studying books: A very good way to learn a opening. (Expecially if you also play games from grandmasters)

Playing and analysing your games: This might be even the best way. At the moment your playing you think about the opening and the plans and you have to use them. With analysing you also learn much and if you get a line it's a good thing to look what you can play better and link some grandmaster games to your game, where they play the opening better. This is a very useful.

I hope you learn something, despite my bad english...

Thank very very much spending your time to write this up!

It really helps!!!

XD

Goudenaar> I see some good things here above and also some bad things.

Not bad. :)