How to memorize openings

Hello.  My rating is currently hovering around 2000 (as my username says, lol).  Anway, I have had serious trouble memorizing theory.  So, I decided to pick openings that 1) fit my style and 2) don't require me to know a huge amount of theory (for black I chose the French and Nimzo-Indian).  I have also focused more on the ideas of the openings rather than just memorizing moves.  However, I still have trouble.  My chess coaches (2 IM's and a GM) have also told me that my greatest weakness is not knowing enough theory.  I have also lost several games against 2000 and 2100's partly because I got a slightly worse position out of the opening.  So, how do all of you learn theory?  What do you think is the best way to learn theory, and actually remember it?

Well, having absolutely no clue or interest in becoming a good chessplayer through theory or any other means myself, I will say that it is hard to memorize anything if you don't know why it's that way. It's no easier to memorize several branches of chess moves any more than so many sets of random numbers, so you need to give reason to the randomness. Study why those lines go the way they do, why you don't play something else, and what opportunities you will have or should try to create.

Chess Positions Trainer, Chess Openings Trainer, or Chess Openings Wizard (I have this one) will allow you train your opening repertoire.

@ivandh

My coaches have already told me what the ideas are behind the openings that I play.  What I struggle with, is actually remembering the lines, because otherwise I'm just simply playing whatever move I think is the best.  However, since I don't always make the "theory move" my opponents simply punish me, and I end up getting a worse position out of the opening. 

@dannyhume

I already have a chessbase, but would those help more?

Btw, how else would I learn what the ideas are behind my openings if I didn't have my coaches to tell me?  Is there any way to find that out?

I`m not high rated but everytime  i understand why something is done in the game it makes me a better player.

You must know the ideas behind each move. It is expected for a 2000 player to know the idea behind an entire opening.

Just use the theories as strong principles. If the theory of the opening is for good king side blitzing then you'd want to unleash a hell storm on the kingside... and there isn't a list for winning every game - sorry son, but this game requires a brain that can think on its own. Knowing a couple of lines in some opening is trivial when there are billions, billions++ of possible openings. Strong strategy, and precision in the tactics is how you win, son.

I do not have many chessBase programs because I am intimidated by the interface.  

I have user-friendly Chess Openings Wizard Professional (COW; formerly known as "Bookup").

You simply input your repertoire into an e-book.  Then you can select the training option where you play against the computer and you must pick the correct move in your repertoire or it won't let you move to the next line.  

You simply play a line against the computer to the line's last move, then it moves to the next line in your repertoire, etc, until you cover the whole repertoire in your e-book.

You can choose how many times you need to get each line "correct" before you consider yourself "trained".  You can choose whether you want the computer to only play the top candidate move or any candidate move.  You can choose whether you want to be tested on your top candidate moves only or instead any move that you consider satisfactory.  You can even train individiual lines, but I haven't tried that.  

After you have covered your repertoire, it gives you a score.  Then you can reset training and do it over again, either sequentially or randomly covering the whole repertoire...it is awesome for memorization purposes. 

I am not sure if ChessBase offers similar type of training program. 

^Is there a price for chess openings wizard?

I'm a low-rated player, but I'll tell you what a long-time master told me.  During a lunch break at a tournament I went with a group of "old-timers" and one of them was the master I just mentioned.  During conversation I mentioned I was focusing on tactics and just learning the ideas of openings.  He spoke up and said he strongly disagreed with just "learning the ideas of openings."  He went on to say, "Look, you've got to learn both.  You need to understand the theory, but you've got to know your lines too."  Memorize everything?  Doubt that's what he meant.  You can, however, learn certain lines and steer your games into the lines you know well.  I guess that's the difference.  Maybe one day, I'll experience it.  Hope that story was at least thought-provoking.  Good luck.

http://www.bookup.com/

Lite version is free.  Express version costs $67. Professional Version costs $197.

Study why the 'proper' way is better than the moves you think are best. There must be a reason, even if it's deep.

If you're not playing the right moves, your reasons for choosing the moves are obviously flawed, however slightly.

+1 Chess position trainer , still using version 3.3 as version 4 beta has corrupted a few times and i had start again each time.

Well, I have a pretty good (for me) way of learning the openings.

I use SCID, but the same would apply to chessbase, I assume.

1. Make a database of your selected opening/line, a few hundred up to a few thousand games, at all levels of play, so you also find proper moves against inferior play.
2. Click throught these games, move by move, right up to the end of the game, so that you get an idea of the ensuing middle and engame positions.
3. Before you click a move, see if you can predict it correctly. Don't spend more than a few seconds on each position.
4. A few hours of this every day, and you would pretty much have nailed it by the end of the week.

I know I'm nowhere near your rating, but I normally don't lose in openings I have learnt this way, I get crushed later :(

But I agree with him, above 2000 you need memorization too. Sometimes in sharp positions the idea is just that line A works and line B doesn't, and that's all.

I agree with Chess Position Trainer. You can enter all the lines you want to memorize and then keep practicing them.