openings

I've been playing chess for a while and I've been having issues with theory. When i get one that i know, i usually can play fairly well. However I'm unfamiliar with most of them. Which ones are most important to study? 

openings i know in order of familiarity( 1 being most familiar)

1.)the fried liver

2.)the alapin Sicilian

3.)Ruy Lopez

4.)Sicilian Najorf variation

The Fried Liver is useless.  You play anybody with half a brain and they will not allow it!

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 and now instead of the idiotic 5...Nxd5?, allowing the Fried Liver, all he has to do is play 5...Na5 and you are stuck having to know Two Knights theory.

4.d3! Is better.  No need to know 54 different lines.  3...Bc5 and 3...Nf6 will usually result in the same thing!

I'm well aware of its futility, thats why im seeking reccomendations for other openings. I just happened to know it from my middle school chess class. Worked pretty well when i was 10 lol

As an improving player, it is probably best to pick some mainstream variation and go from there, sticking to opening principles. So Ruy Lopez, Italian, Queens Gambit etc. for white and choose something for black against e4 and d4 (QGD, Slav for instance...) and just go from there. Remembering more than 3-5 first moves would be a mistake, your opponents will not know the theory and you will be out of book rendering your remembered lines useless.

So something mainstream, develop fast and you will be fine.

I believe the Italian Game would be a very good opening choice for White, and appropriate for players at all levels.  It's an opening you can grow with and play for the rest of your chess career, including at the highest levels...

In this regard, for an instructive openings repertoire book featuring the Italian game and which is targeted to the beginner-intermediate player audience, I recommend My First Opening Repertoire for White by Vincent Moret.  Also included in the repertoire, his instruction for how to play the Grand Prix Attack as White against 1. e4 c5 (Sicilian Defense) is outstanding, the best I have seen.  Check out my review of the book here (search ‘Moret’)...

Good Chess Openings Books For Beginners and Beyond...

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/good-chess-openings-books-for-beginners-and-beyond

Excerpts from Moret's White and Black opening repertoire books here...

My First Chess Opening Repertoire for White...

https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9033.pdf

https://www.google.com/books/edition/My_First_Chess_Opening_Repertoire_for_Wh/cdUlDAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=my+first+chess+opening+repertoire+for+black&printsec=frontcover

My First Chess Opening Repertoire for Black...

https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9050.pdf

https://www.google.com/books/edition/My_First_Chess_Opening_Repertoire_for_Bl/GL88DwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=my+first+chess+opening+repertoire+for+black&printsec=frontcover

Chessable also has courses based on Moret's two opening repertoire books for White & Black....

https://www.chessable.com/chess-openings/s/moret

Here is a more advanced repertoire in the Italian Game, appropriate for play at the highest levels, and a recommended follow-on to Moret's book...

Winning With The Slow But Venomous Italian by Muller & Souleidis...

This repertoire is focused on the 4.c3 /5.d4 variation of the Italian Game - The Giuoco Piano, which is also the main line of Moret's White repertoire book.

Read the authors' preface and introduction (book excerpt) here.....they also explain why they prefer it over the Ruy Lopez (Spanish Opening)...

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Winning_with_the_Slow_but_Venomous_Itali/HokfDgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Szr8mNLKtPg

https://www.amazon.com/Winning-Venomous-Italian-Easy-Grasp/dp/9056916742

Finally, another very good introductory repertoire book on the Italian Game by John Emms - "Beating 1 e4 e5".   Emms' repertoire focuses on the modest 4.c3 / 5.d3 variation.

Collectively, these books should teach an amateur player (and beyond) essentially everything they need to know to play the Italian Game at a high level.

Also potentially helpful...

Chess Openings Resources for Beginners and Beyond...

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/openings-resources-for-beginners-and-beyond

For general advice, be sure to check out my other articles relating to chess, including instructive chess resources and good chess book recommendations, in my Chess.com blog, including...

Good Chess Books for Beginners and Beyond...

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/good-chess-books-for-beginners-and-beyond

You really don't need to study openings in depth at your current level. Just knowing the first few moves will be good enough. You can use opening principles for the rest. Instead of studying opening lines focus on studying other areas of the game like tactics, strategy and endgames.

I think playing Ng5 is worth it, in fact I am happy with the imbalanced two knights line with Na5

Alright, ill start reading up on it. Thanks for all the resources!!

dont worry about openong theory untill youre atleast a 1500. worry about principles and building good intuition