When is it time to study openings?

So all the IMs and GMs out there always harp on openings being the last thing you need in order to improve your chess, but then when asked what it takes to go from expert to master, or what they need to do to get their next norm, they often say:

"improve openings.."

 

I feel like most chess instructional / advisory content online is aimed at 1200-1800 players, and i agree, at that level openings dont matter as much because no one plays deep theory anyway, and they wont be punished for not keeping up. But when does it start playing a role?

 

For instance, so far i got by with just 2 obscure unsound side lines against any and all sicillians, but ive played them in multiple tournaments already, and anyone who prepares for me will know how to refute them.

 

I want to study strategy, endgames and all the "important" stuff, but more and more often i end up spending tons of time in openings that i just dont know well enough.

 

So id love to hear from some  1800 >= players. Are openings actually important at this (my) level, or am i still just falling for the amateur bias and am nowhere near the stage where openings actually matter?

I honestly don't think openings matter as much as other things.

I made the big mistake of focusing on studying the dragon before everything else about 7 years ago when I was in middle school, and I would get decent positions and survive the Yugoslav Attack, but I would lose most games given most of black's wins are in a technical endgame where black has a better pawn structure but down an exchange, and I just didn't have any endgame knowledge, so his rook would always outplay my knight. (I was 1300ish at that time) and I was stuck there for about 3 years until I began studying endgames and my rating skyrocketed to 1800 within a year.

Based on my games vs GMs and IMs, I know that I can hang around an equal position, but they always know when to trade down, and what to trade better than me, which helps them get a winning endgame. 

From what my titled friends have told me, opening preparation only starts to matter when you play in tournaments when you know who you are going to play and you have enough time to prepare for said person.

Bottom line, I'd say to disregard the opening until you improve the other areas first...

"... For beginning players, [Discovering Chess Openings by GM John Emms] will offer an opportunity to start out on the right foot and really get a feel for what is happening on the board. ..." - FM Carsten Hansen (2006)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627114655/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen91.pdf

"... Overall, I would advise most players to stick to a fairly limited range of openings, and not to worry about learning too much by heart. ..." - FM Steve Giddins (2008)
"... Once you identify an opening you really like and wish to learn in more depth, then should you pick up a book on a particular opening or variation. Start with ones that explain the opening variations and are not just meant for advanced players. ..." - Dan Heisman (2001)

https://web.archive.org/web/20140626180930/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman06.pdf
"... the average player only needs to know a limited amount about the openings he plays. Providing he understands the main aims of the opening, a few typical plans and a handful of basic variations, that is enough. ..." - FM Steve Giddins (2008)

 

Yeah clearly, but improve the other areas how much? What if my endgames and strategic understanding is lets say at 2000 level, but my openings are 1500?

I would classify it roughly as:

1. Beginner level – opening principles. Develop your pieces, castle, get to a playable middlegame.  Trying to memorize theory is more hinderance than help at this stage.
2. Late Beginner / Early Intermediate level – main ideas of each opening. Know what each side is trying to do.  For instance, in the French defence, Black wants to counter-attack White’s central pawn chain with either c5 or f6 at the appropriate moment.  White in turn will use his space and likely try to attack on the Queenside.
3. Intermediate level – specific understanding of middlegame (and potentially endgame) plans. Understands that the French Tarrasch can lead to an isolated Queen pawn position, and knows that this requires different ideas than the French Advance.  Learn which pieces are the best in these positions and work to maximize them.  Knowing the first few moves of the mainlines (or the most common lines that you face) starts being useful.
4. Later Intermediate / Early Advanced – theory starts playing a role. Against other players of this level, it is possible to reach a passive position without doing anything obviously wrong.  A greater knowledge of theory can be helpful to avoid this.
5. Advanced or Master Level – intensive theory. Eeking out a small advantage here can set you up to win a game or even a tournament.  Other masters have the same general skillset, so an advantage in the opening can make or break a game.  As you become even more advanced, the Super GM level, this becomes ever more important.

I should stress that this is like a pyramid, where each stage builds on the previous one.  You don’t get to intermediate level and then get to ignore opening principles.  You build onto them, adding basic plans, then more detailed plans, then an understanding of mainline and sideline theory, and then a deeper understanding of that.  Going straight to master-level theory is building the top of the pyramid before you have the base.

Said another way, if the rest of your game isn’t master class, it makes no sense to prepare for the opening at a master level.  The better your overall game, the more time you can then spread on your openings.

"... 'Chess Fundamentals' ... does not deal so minutely as this book will with the things that beginners need to know. ... The third volume will treat mainly of the openings. ...

... we shall begin by giving a few simple mates and simple endings which will serve as a guide for the student. ...

... Let us now return to the study of certain endings and the principles involved therein. ...

... The whole structure of the game may be the result of the first few moves. For the sake of experience and practice it may be well to vary the openings, but for the sake of efficiency it might be better to stick to one single opening for the attack, and one single opening or method of development for the defence. This system may be followed until the one opening in question has been mastered. Then the player may take up a new opening, and thus gradually reach the point where he feels familiar with half a dozen different openings. Half a dozen different openings, well learned, are about all the average player needs to obtain good results. Later on, if he finds it convenient and to his liking, he may try still others. ...

... This constitutes the Ruy Lopez ...

... We have now gone over one of the main variations of this most important opening. Because of its importance we are giving below some of the main variations used by the experts, with very light comments of a general nature. ..." - J. R. Capablanca's Primer of Chess

Here's a pretty good rule of thumb.

If you're losing games due to terrible endgame play, study endgames.
If you're losing games due to terrible opening prep, study openings.
If you're losing games due to missed tactics, study tactics.

Just figure out why you're losing, and fix that.

Excellent advice.

i started looking at some very limited openings (italian as white since i'm learning e4 atm) and the slav defense as black vs d4 (since i was always struggling against white d4)

i reached this decision to look at openings as a sub 1200 player specifically because i was getting in time trouble (even at 30 min) within the first 10 moves

though most games deviate from the specific lines, the ideas and plans of the openings are there and it does give me some confidence; rather than the frustration of falling behind early on

there is a site that is geared to getting familiar with openings- among other things- and it has helped- at least in my case

SmithyQ in #6 and NM Bramblyspam in #12 are the best words of wisdom for the OP.