How to begin openings study?

Hi everyone--I've been studying concepts of chess and I'm trying to analyze games a bit.  It's been tremendously helpful, but I've decided it's time to get serious about studying openings.

I've read a little about the characteristics of each opening, but I'm a little unsure of how to proceed:  what was it like when you all began learning openings?  I always felt like learning an opening was a bit like learning a kung fu style or something. Do you choose to reply to an opening?  Do you always implement your own preferred opening?  I worry about learning King's Gambit for example and being over-committed to one style of play. 

Or am I just putting off hard study? :)  If that's the case, how did you guys learn to play openings?

Thanks!

--matt

Although I agree somewhat with Waffles that many players below 1800 (I would say, 1600, but that's splitting hairs) won't follow standard opening lines I don't agree that this means you shoud not study openings if you are a sub-1600 or sub-1800 player. Probably Waffles is talking about learning an opening in depth (knowing the normal variation to something like 10-ply moves) and I would agree with him in that respect. But when I say openings should be studied I mean that opening theory and principles should be studied. Playing a sub-1600 player you can very quickly (after, say, 2 or 3 moves) find yourself in an unusual position that you won't find in any opening book. So I agree with Waffles that there is no point learning opening lines much deeper than that. However, it is still (perhaps more so) important to understand the principle of an opening. What is white trying to achieve? What is black trying to achieve? Why is the centre important? What is development and why does it matter? What does it mean to lose a tempo?

Because if you understand some answers to these sorts of questions then you will have more chance of making good moves when your opponent goes off the beaten track. Even understanding simple ideas about development and the 'rule' that you should bring knights about before bishops and try to move each piece once only can guide a beginner to a reasonable opening position. How do you learn these opening principles? Well, at a basic level you could do worse that look at this web site (Exeter Chess Club) - http://www.exeterchessclub.org.uk/Openings/10openrules.html

However, to get a deeper understanding I do think it is useful to study in depth an opening such as The Ruy Lopez or Italian Game. It is not that you expect your opponent to know the opening and slavishly follow the standard line to a depth of about 12-ply moves (though this can happen if they use Game Explorer) - rather, by studying an opening you will develop an understanding of some of the answers to the questions I posed above. This understanding will help you when you play that particular opening but will also help you find good moves when you play unfamiliar openings. 

thanks guys.  When I'm feeling particularly studious, I flip through Jeremy SIlman's Amateur's Mind.  Reading about imbalances is probably the single-most important thing I've done to help my game (like understanding why knights are so strong in closed games, etc...). 

Recognizing an imbalance in, say, development, has been tremendously helpful to my game as well. I feel like I "know" about these things but I don't "understand" them yet. 

I'm going to have a look at that link that swestland sent me (thanks).  I think I'll look at the "why's" of openings first.  

Thanks everyone!

--matt

If you sit down with a book and try to study an opening deeply, you'll find that you sit down at the board and you can't remember the moves. Your opponent will have so many choices  -- sometimes the same moves in a different order from your opponent require much different play on your part!

Your memory of the opening will be more solid if, as suggested above, you learn the principles that guide the moves. It will also be more solid if you learn the opening slowly while playing many games in it. After each game, look up the opening -- in your opening book, or the Game Explorer. Find where the first move is where you or your oppenent deviated from the book or played a move that masters don't play. Try to figure out why this move isn't recommended by strong players. Does it lose to a tactic, does it neglect development, create weaknesses unnecessarily, fail to secure strong square, etc.

Your opening repertoire will grow slowly as you look at the openings played in each of your games and understand how the opening affected the middle game.

If you are a fan of Silman's the amateurs mind I suggest 1.d4 simply because in 1.e4 openings the positions are usually tactically brutal and have very little to offer until you get to a higher level. 1.d4 however leaves alot of room to place your pieces on better squares things aren't so rushed so you can play long drawn out chess where the person with the better plan wins.

Also your defence will be enhanced because all to often does a player initiate a flawed kingside attack.

To study openings I recomend a chessbase dvd quick easy and gives fair insight if you want to further after that then an in detailed book.

memorisation is key to learning openings quickly so maybe even memory training from a book might be good. Learning openings through experience is a hard thing to do and if you were to do it you would have to be a strong player 1800+ to actually build long lines that work.