What is the meaning of the openings you play?

I've been studying chess for about a year or 2 now and I have most of the opening moves down for the lines I like to play (sicilian against e4, kings indian and benoni against d4, for white I play reti and e4 and know book moves for the common defenses). Despite knowing the moves I'm supposed to play I don't know the meaning. What do I mean by this? I'll give you an example to explain. I was at a local chess shop where they have a free play thing on sundays and was playing against a club player, I think he told me his rating was 1500 or 1600, anyway, I forget the game but I remember afterwards we were talking about it and he told me "I played this opening and I play for the C file and the e5 square" (just making up the C file and e5 but he told me he knew the advantages he was going to get). I want to know how to learn the ins and outs of openings and how to gain that understanding. When I play a game I play book until I don't know anything else then I play the position taking whatever advantage I see I can get (taking an open file, doubling his pawns etc). What resources can I use to obtain more knowledge of openings?

I'm not the best writer so if needed ask me to elaborate more or ask where I'm unclear, but I really feel that this knowledge is vital for any player moving forward. Just as an extra, I recognize pawn structures fairly well but I don't know how they will affect the game.

Thanks

Knowing the ideas of the opening is very important, since otherwise you might get stuck in the middle game without any clear plan. If you have a hard time finding these ideas from your games and online games, turn to real people. It's ok if you use books or online video's, just as long as someone is explaining the ideas clearly.

It may help if you know a bit what people mean.

Sicilian:

Black uses pressure on the halfopen c-file. You can often see knights coming into c5 or c4, especially since white can play g4-g5 and Nf6 has to go anyway. White will often castle queenside but even if not, the main idea is attack on the black king. In the centre usually you see the e6-d6 or d6-e5 duo. If possible black would like to break with d5 to equalize, provided white doesn't have anything funny. You don't want white to advance and you don't want to end up with an isolated pawn on d5.

In the Dragon cases may differ somewhat. Black may readily use the d5 break if needed, can even sack the pawn. If not, piece play only with a static centre may do.

The Benoni is a difficult issue. Play with the queenside mayority is natural, meaning a6,b5, and maybe c4, followed by Nc5. However an early c4?! sac + Nc5 targeting the centre can be ok. However kingside play is not prohibited. Black can move Nf6 out to several squares and break with f5. You need to decide in the game on which flank to play, or in some cases there may be play on both flanks! Important is you have choices and white doesn't know it all either. Just be weary of the e5 break. Nfd7 is often a good move when in trouble, since club players usually don't know what to play when Nd7+Bg7 are protecting e5.

The King's indian is tactical, but fairly straightforward. If white exchanges in the centre the play is going to be about the open file and the weak d4 centre square from white. If the centre is closed it's just an all out attack on the wing, pawns included. White usually goes queenside, black kingside. Just remember the g5- pawn rather than the h5 pawn needs to spearhead the attack. If black can play pawn g3 and white can play h3, at least you can still sac your c8 bishop on h3. The key is to always leave an opening. never shove the pawns into each other, unless you can sac the bishop on h3.

Thank you for giving me examples, I have a couple of follow ups.

1) How much more could you tell me about each of those openings (for instance, did you tell me a quarter of what you know, did you tell me everything, did you have to dig and really think to get more to write)?

2) How did YOU learn all this (and anybody else who has knowledge like this is welcome and encouraged to answer)? and

3) Do you know of any books or online resources to help me find this (specific books or web sites)

Thanks alot for your response by the way, if you don't mind me asking, whats your rating in real life and how long have you been playing?

My U.S. rating is over 2000 and I've been playing 42 years (since I was 4.)  I have the following advice: 

Instead of memorizing variations, try reading a good general book that explains the ideas behind the chess openings.  Such as How to Play the Opening in Chess by Levy and Keene or even How to Win in the Chess Openings by Horowitz.  These books are out of date so you can ignore much of what they say about which specific moves to play.  However they give you a detailed understanding of the underlying concepts, and the great majority of it is still relevant today. 

After you've understood the underlying concepts then you can learn some variations and hopefully you will understand more.  However even then, the most important thing is to play a large number of games -- unfortunately it is my painful losses that have given me the most valuable information! 

I haven't read any books (because the store in brooklyn nearest me doesn't carry them) but I feel like I do the 21st century equivilant; watch videos. I'm a decent player and I play much, (by decent I mean I beat any causual player handily). As far as opening theory goes I understand that the goals of the opening are to develop your pieces, protect your king and for black equalize. I also know that there are many tedious rules like developing your knights before your bishops, not developing the knights on the rim, don't move a piece 2 times etc. and then there are other rules (or concepts) that I figured out either by making a mistake or exploiting my opponent who made the mistake like not blocking your own pieces, don't weaken your pawn structure (unnecessary pawn moves), take control of squares that your opponent neglects so on and so fourth. 

So correct me if I'm wrong on what I said (first) and let me know if I'm missing out on much of what the opening theory books are saying.

This is going to sound a bit pessimistic but I feel like I don't have a mind to gain the insite to become as good as I'd like to be (at least 2,000) but on the other hand I watch some of my games where I make great moves and carry out tactics beautifully and I see games of GM's where I find many of their moves and ideas. The latter is the reason that I want to become an expert in the opening, I think that getting yourself to a sound middle game, that is supported by your opening, makes it easy to spot strong moves and make good positional decisions. 

Eri, thanks alot for your input though, it's always good to have opinions of better players in mind and hopefully when you write back you can tell me if the books you mentioned will be worth it in my situation. Again though, I think that I have the basic concepts of the opening down and need to start focusing on what the goals of the opening are. 

1.) Those are absolutely the main strategical lines. I can tell you more, if I get into detail. However I may not know all the lines from the top of my head. I'm confident there are still things I could dig up, so it cannot be more than 25-50 % since that was just a few lines per opening I gave. The bishops by themselves deserve more treatment, and then there are many many Sicilian variations anyway.

2.) Buy a book. even if old. Then play. As a kid I was just playing the KID all the time, hammering down on the white kingside over and over again. This is why I know a very annoying line when I play the white side, so it is harder for people to mate me on the kingside. I also have more books, watch vids from strong players, and I had trainers in the past.

3.) Google any opening for video's. Not sure I can advertize links here, sorry. Buy opening books from John Watson. Neil mcDonald also has some good introduction books. Don't bother with books that spend a few pages on an opening, you will not get the idea. You don't have to go overboard and buy a book with only 1 variation either.  

Well, I'm a bit behind in my tactics and I dont play much. Though I consider I have studied quite a bit, in practical play Im only 1900 rated at the moment. Been near 2000 when I played more. Now I've been playing for about 20 years.  

All of the previous posts are good advice.  There is one principle that will help you understand what this game and the openings are all about.  It is very general, but it will allow you to wrap your mind around what is going on in every opening.  The principle is:

Winning chess is the strategically and tactically correct advance of the pawn mass.

You read it and think, this is too general, give me some guiding details.  Well, the details can be found in a book by Hans Kmoch, "Pawn Power In Chess"

But, even without reading the book you have the key idea.  The pawns are the only ones that cannot move backwards.  As they progress over the board they form a terrain in which the chess battle must be fought.  The pawn structure is the mountains and valleys of the battlefield.  Plans of attack must conform with the pawn structure or they are doomed to failure.

Every opening usually results in one of 6 characteristic pawn structures.  Knowing those pawn structures and how to carry out plans within those pawn structures is part of opening theory. 

There is alot more detail, but for that you will have to read the book.

Does that principle allow for the notion that best play results in a draw?

Maybe things are different in big city like New York but where I live it's really hard to find bookstores that have chess books. Instead one has to order them.

In general I second the opinion that good and suitable opening book seems just like what you are looking for. By suitable I mean that it's at right level and contains lot of verbal explanation about the ideas of the covered opening variations. I'm pretty old school with these things so I don't have much experience about videos but somehow I suspect that even among the paid content you will be hard pressed to find material that can completely replace a good book and I would be very suprised if such a material could be obtained for free.

These are just some general guidelines that are teached for beginners to help them avoid the worst pitfalls (By the way, I would definitely add fighting for the control of the centre among the major goals of the opening; also black doesn't necessarily need to think only about equalising but he can also seek to unbalance the game from the word go). Apart from knowing these guidelines it's extremely important to understand the logic behind the rules.

However, each opening variation has typical features of its own that cannot be so easily discerned from the general guidelines above. Moreover, the thruth is that the separation between middlegame and opening is largely arbitary. Each opening gives rise to specific type middlegames whose charateristic features can (,and if you want to progress beyond certain point, should) be studied. Therefore studying opening variation also means studying the typical middlegames (and even endings!) that can arise and the plans in them. Also, as your skill advances, you must start already thinking about the middlegames (and in some cases endings) that may arise when choosing your opening moves.

These are some things in which a good book can help.

 Yes, in tournament chess with a draw you win 1/2 a point

+ 1/2 

Wow, just wow, first off thank you everybody for the responses, they're all great but in general I'd like to further talk about pawn structures and the power of pawns. I never though about pawns as terrain and that analogy is as good as any one I've ever heard. That is a book I will definitely order as soon as I can. 

I also like the comment of knowing what middle and late game strategies arise from early games (and early game pawn structures), that was exactly what I came here to ask about and I feel like it has been answered adequately. If you guys want to take this thread and actually do some expert discussion on any opening I'll definitely continue to stop by and learn.

To get it rolling lets start talking about themes for white while playing against the QID. I don't know if there are set rules that you all know and if that is the case then we can close this thread but if there are things to be discussed let it begin!

Once again thank you all very much, I've been playing chess on this site for a little while but I never realized how great the forums are, thank you all very very much.

You're welcome. Yes, I agree the pawn formation that comes from the opening greatly influences the plan to follow, which is why I stressed the fluid centre/fixed centre/pawn majority/halfopen file in the first place. I think the variations in which the opponent changes the pawn structure are the most important to learn.

I never play the QID because I play Nc3, not giving any time for b6. There are still Nimzo-QID kind of lines with Bb4 and Bb7, but it's different since the exchange on c3 is very likely. We can assume white would like to set up a big centre anyway. d4 and c4 are in place, then the third pawn move e4 is only natural. The funny thing is black has all kinds of choices. With d5 in it it looks a bit like a QG formation. There's also the brick wall with c5 and e5. Finally, I think, is the Ne4 jump + f5, suddenly conjuring up a Dutch like centre. There is a lot to do there, so you might want to pick a specific line and see if you have any problems. I may not know a lot about it myself, but others can also comment of course.  

If you play the Benoni why don't you try the Benko gambit? In the Benko Black plans are straightforward and easy to grasp here there's some reference ...

http://www.4shared.com/document/aRW0AJsY/Jan_Pinski_-_The_Benko_Gambit_.htm

 TATICS is the name of the game. Everything else is thinking inside the box, check out my latest post called chess players

If you want to improve the connection between the opening and the middlegame, I can recommend you to read Andrew Soltis' book "Pawn Structure Chess". It's about different pawn structures and how they affect middlegame play for both White and Black. There's a page at Wikipedia about pawn structures: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pawn_structure, that is more or less a short summary of the book and can give you a general idea of what it is like.

The idea is that whatever the exact opening moves' order is, once the pawn structure is formed it stays relatively static, and you can base your middlegame plans on its features (open / semi-open files and diagonals, outposts, advanced / backward / isolated / etc. pawns and so on) - as your opponent said, you can have a plan of using an open / semi-open c file and an e5 outpost to use for piece placement and attacks. And vise versa - you can change the pawn structure (by pawn breaks) to open lines and create outposts for your pieces to play if the current one doesn't favor you.

In the book there are some basic kinds of pawn structures investigated, and most of the structures that occur in games can be treated like one of them. The good thing is that it shows how to analyze pawn structures, how to create and modify them and how to connect them with piece play, avoiding to an extent the necessity of remembering exact move orders and giving some ideas how to play not familiar openings.

I hope this helps Good luck!