I find opening books really boring. Solution?

I read tactics, strategic, positional and endgame books without a problem. But opening books are so boring. They just cover lines, then more lines and sideline lines, all stuff you're meant to remember that I'll forget in a few minutes, so what's the solution? Many people say you shouldn't study openings until you've gotten to at least 1700, but I'm the sort of person who struggles in openings, so I'm unsure of what to do. Suggestions are much appreciated.

Paul van der Sterren's FCO (Fundamental Chess Openings) is probably the most readable of the opening encyclopedias if you want to stick with books.  He'll take a paragraph sometimes to explain 1 move.  Still, theory involves memorization.

Another approach is to go digital with a program like chessking's "chess openings, what you need to know".  It's a standalone program that's usually bundled with courses on tactics, endgames, and strategy, but you can buy it by itself for about $30.  You can go through all the sidelines or just have it run through the main lines for you.  I'm sure there are other programs that do the same thing.

A third approach is to get a database program, filter the games by ECO code and just watch a bunch of games.  I use HIARCS because it's relatively cheap, easy to filter the games and comes with a good engine, but I'm sure there are others that will do the same thing.  One other reason I like HIARCS is you can choose to play the engine from any of around 100 common openings to get an idea of how the middlegame typically unfolds. Good luck!

Thanks a lot! I already have database software, and of course a database that I love using, and I think that's a great idea. I'll also check out the book.

i recommend opening ebooks or opening dvds which is underestimated. there are many really good ones for example  jan gustaffsons vl2 open games which will teach you everything about 1.e4 e5 exept the ruy lopez

You could play the Hippo as both white and black. It's not that good but it would get you by the opening. The middlegame could be rather tough. You're in reaction mode, the opponent will often try to go into destroy mode. Tiger's Modern has a good chapter on the Hippo. There's also an entire book on it titled The Hippopotamus Rises but not considered good though useful. These books don't cover when white has a pawn on c4. The Hippo is considered tough to play even without a white pawn on c4 and way too tough to play when there is a white pawn on c4. With a white pawn on c4 white has too many ways to break through all over the board.

Having said that, I don't think anyone knows a whole lot about the Hippo. Perhaps it could be played against everything on the club level. 

Maybe it's practical to have something in which one can just about bypass the opening and use it as both white and black, and just concentrate on playing it's middlegame (and endgames) well, but is it really practical to depend on the Hippo, the general consensus is no. 

Spassky used it twice as black against Petrosian in a world championship match and both games were draws. Kamsky used it as both white and black in every game in an online blitz tournament, many of his opponents fairly strong. He did well, many wins, maybe some draws, I don't clearly recall, but when he went up against someone almost as strong as he is he lost rather badly. 

Regarding the hippo, I don't consider it a good opening. While it might get you past the opening it isn't challenging at all for the other person.

No matter what you'll have to memorize some lines, but one way you could minimize the amount of memorization is to study an opening that is less about memorizing the variations and more about understanding the ideas in the opening. I have a book by Karpov about the English opening where he just analyzes 30 grandmaster games where they used lines in the english and he points out the thematic ideas in the opening.  

Your falling into the trap that Zonosko Borovosky cautioned constantly against in his books: memorization players try to memorize and memorize and cram the brain some more and the only result is you will forget it all.

Chess is a game of understanding not memorzation this truth never changes.

YouTube videos on openings that you wish to study.

I feel your pain brother!  I'm on page 180 of Crouch's How to Defend in Chess and it's a tough read!  Some games are great but it's pretty dense.  It's well worth it because if you don't know how to defend correctly you're going to get dunked hard. 

Also, don't focus too much on openings, just focus on positional, tactical, attack, defense (both attack and defense are related to cold hard calculation and positional qualities so do positional stuff and calculation before specific attack and defense principles), and especially, endgames. 

I agree, but it is enticing in a way. I've considered giving it a go for a year and see how many points I lose. Maybe I could hold out somewhat better than I think. I'm about 2000 USCF strength, I wonder if I could even play at 1800 with it, but it would be interesting to try (the extra losing wouldn't be so fun though). I really would only try it online. I don't mind so much being in reaction mode, I play like that a lot anyway, but it appears a bit much to overcome. 

Don't get me wrong, I actually enjoy reading theory on openings. I just can never remember when it really matters. Here's an example:

Read the "Move by Move" series.  Many of those books cover not only the opening moves but also the strategies, tactics, and sometimes even endgames of various openings.  Also, the "Move by Move" series already has books on many mainstream openings, such as the Ruy Lopez, Slav, Caro-Kann, and Nimzo-Indian.

Choose openings that have books by more interesting authors.

Cox John from the top of my head, not familiar with that many really.

Isn't chess software forbiden on Chess.com?

What. Engine use is forbidden, so are opening and database use for live chess, but they can't and have no intention of banning chess software...

As white the King's Indian Attack or the London System (2 Bf4 instead of 2 Nf3 and 3 Bf4 is favored by many London players these days) are mostly structure system openings, there is some theory but they mainly rely heavily on repetitive routine ways to play the opening phase (and middlegame phase also to a certain extent). But black can get easy equality against such robo play. The London is simplier to play than the King's Indian Attack. 

As black the 3...Qd8 Scandinavian is a simplier and less bookish way to play against 1 e4 and mostly relies on typical placement of pieces and routine middlegame movement.

Fitting in with the London and the 3...Qd8 Scandinavian to complete the repertoire is the 4..a6 Slav against 1 d4. There is actually quite a bit of theory that has now developed in the 4...a6 Slav, but in the 4...a6 Slav one can get by fairly well just on the basic opening development and then playing for the ...e5 or ...b6 pawn push/break (or both breaks at times) in the middlegame. 

There are several books on the London, but only Winning with the London System is about 2 Bf4. The other London books only cover 2 Nf3 3 Bf4. The idea behind 2 Bf4, putting off playing Nf3 for the time being, is to use the saved tempo (from not playing Nf3) in case it is needed on the queenside, in case black attacks quickly on the queenside with ...c5 ...Qb6 stuff. 

There is a new book recently out on just the 3...Qd8 Scandinavian, the only book written on the defense. There is a chapter on the 3...Qd8 Scandinavian in a good book written by Houska's on the Scandinavian but it doesn't compare to all the helpful info on 3...Qd8 in the new book.

There are a couple of good books on the 4...a6 Slav, but the older one of the two, written by Flear, may be a bit more club player friendly. There is a lot of analysis in both books, but the main thing to take from the books is the basic opening setups and the typical middlegame breaks black is seeking (...e5 or ...b6) to enforce. 

The 2 Bf4 London, 3...Qd8 Scandinavian, and 4...a6 Slav, is a very solid repertoire, only players into solid should consider it. 

Seriously?  OP was asking about how to learn openings and I suggested he filter games from a database and play through them.  I further suggested that one of the reasons I like HIARCS is because it's easy to set up common openings to practice against.  Where does Chess.com come into any of this?

I like Hiarcs too. I have both Hiarcs 14 and Houdini 1.5a. Houdini is stronger, Hiarcs more human-ish in it's choices at times. 

I think he misunderstood the rules :)