Which Openings to Learn for Time Efficiency?

Hey All, thanks in advance for your time/help!

I've played chess on/off for a while, but never had too much time for concerted study. Now I'm looking to improve as I've a little more time to spend on the game.

First off, I'm going to be focusing 80-90% on middlegame/endgame/tactics -- I know at my level, that's where my focus should be. And focusing on solid opening principles and leaving it at that. But I'd still like to learn a few "set-it-and-forget-it" openings so that every game isn't a complete shot in the dark in the first few moves. In general, I can identify the major openings (not variations), without necessarily knowing how to play them though.

I was hoping someone might have a few efficient openings to suggest -- and that would fit with my "style" of play and ability level....and that's one of the sticking points. I have no idea what that is XD ... So I've included a few win/losses of both white and black to give something of a sample of my (low) level of ability and tendencies. My opponent in all games is Shredder 12, playing at roughly 1300-1350 ELO, according to its own estimation. They are all rated games with no take-backs allowed (quick note... I'm very inconsistent...I'll play great one game, then blunder hard over and over the next):

White Wins:

White Losses:

Black Wins:

Black Losses:

Limited study time. So, I want to spend most of that study time on tactics, endgame, and middle game. I'd like to have a few openings I can use for most games to limit the amount of study time spent on openings. Plus, I figure I can focus more on tactics in game if I'm playing from familiar positions, rather than starting from a completely blank slate every game.

My knowledge of openings is limited. I've studied opening principles and play by those, but I've never studied a specific opening. And I've recently looked at videos of all the major openings for both d4 and e4, plus the English...so if they happened over the board, I'd be able to name the general opening (but not the variation, nor would I know the lines by memory). I've probably played an equal amount of d4 and e4.

Something that sets the tone early, like a Scandinavian or Trompowsky.

Or systems like stonewall / London / colle.

As far as openings go, remember that their purpose is to get you to a playable middlegame. So look for openings that lead to a middlegame where the strategy you should follow is relatively easy to see.

For example, the Bishop's Opening's goal is to get in an early f4, castle Q-side, then Pawn Storm Black's K-side.  The Vienna Game has a similar goal, but it can turn into a in wild, wide-open, tactical game.

The King's Gambit is another that generally leads to K-side attacks by White, but you need to get very good at multi-move combinations to be consistently successful.

Others are the French Defense, Caro-Kann, and Slav Defenses, where moving your (Black's) c-Pawn to c5 generally triggers a Q-side counterattack.

Playing so fast is bad for improving your chess.  Study tactics systematically even if it's done through doing a couple Tactics Trainer problems per day.  But solving them alone won't improve your chess. You need to review the problems after you solve them, recognize the tactics you used and be able to name and demonstrate them, and compare your conclusions with the TAGS other left with the problem. If the problem took a while to solve, ask yourself why it took so long to see the pattern.  Some great, interactive lists of Tactical and Positional Motifs are here and you should slowly memorize them ALL:

https://chesstempo.com/tactical-motifs.html

As white, e4 and d4 have so many different opening possibilities that they are difficult to learn for someone pressed for time.  As white, c4 (the english) opening is going to be your best bet.  It is fairly simple to learn and there aren't a whole lot of potential responses that black can really play against it.  Not to mention, at lower levels, people mainly prepare to meet e4 or d4 as those are the most common, so few players will have any preparation.

As black, you could look into the pirc defense.  You can play it against pretty much anything white does, and you don't really need to learn any theory.  Just know the standard moves, get your set up, then play logically from there.  It's also fairly uncommon so most lower level players won't have super detailed theoretical knowledge about how to play against it.

Those would be my recommendations for both sides.

It's not true that 1.c4 has less theory or options for black than 1.d4 or 1.e4. After all, it controls the centre less directly so why would this be the case? You still need a way to deal with: QGD, Slav, KID, Dutch, Modern, Old Indian etc, as well as having two extra options of the Reversed Sicilian and the Symmetrical English to deal with. More work, not less.

The KID and pirc have a lot of theory and strategic intricacies and IMO are not suitable for a new player, and certainly not suitable for someone who wants to avoid work.

For the same reasons 1.c4 is also not a good suggestion IMO, but e.g. the botvinnik system (which can begin with 1.c4) may be good.

Why would I need to learn any of the 1.d4 openings playing the english?  I'm under no obligation to play d4 later on into the opening.  There's no way to reach a QGD, Slav, etc when white doesn't play 1.d4.  Same with the KID, if someone plays it I just develop like I normally do in the english until they play e5 and it becomes more or less a standard english opening.  For example:

The main difference is just them fianchettoing their bishop.  This doesn't really require substantial increased understanding of theory to combat.  I find myself quite comfortable in these types of positions.

I'm not really sure how they'd try to force you into a QGD/slav opening but maybe:

Then I guess it converts into a Catalan but that's a pretty safe, easy opening so it's not really anything someone needs to learn in depth theory about.

And thinking on the dutch:

Which is really just a worse version of when black tries to attack quickly with e5 followed by f5, since in this variation their e-pawn is a tempo behind.  I'm completely unworried about this position.

I've found with the english I just follow the same setup and get fairly similar positions regardless of what they end up playing.  I'm not sure what theory I really am required to learn to combat any of these other possibilities?

What theory and strategic intricacies are necessary to understand in the english that would make it hard for an inexperienced player to play it?  It's the one I play primarily.

It transposes to a million different things, and black is fairly free to choose various structures.

I'm not saying it's a bad opening, but for someone wanting to spend as little time as possible on openings it'd be better to adopt a system (like the London) or something like a Scandinavian which black initiates on move one, is solid, and has relatively little theory.

The Catalan is a complex and difficult opening.

(The Dutch is also a difficult opening.)

The Catalan is complex, but losing chances are low unless black plays some of the unbalanced options which give white easy play

The main thing is that regardless of what black does, white will end up playing more or less the same opening structure and then get onto the middle game quite quickly, where the position can be analyzed, a plan constructed and executed from there, drawing on basic principles of strategy.  There's no need for detailed study of opening theory.  

Well, everyone seems to know a lot about it. I'll let you guys give the OP all the advice you want and leave this topic alone.

e4 & d4 maybe c4

1.e4 e5 Nf3 Nc6

1.e4 e5 Bc4 Nf6

1.d4 d5 c4 c5

1.d4 d5 Bf4 c5

1.c4 c5 Nc3 g6

1.c4 c5 Nf3 nc6

If interested in the French, perhaps it would not be too time consuming to, from time to time, to play over a game from First Steps: The French.
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7611.pdf

https://new.uschess.org/news/how-to-really-learn-an-opening-review-first-steps-the-french/

If interested in the Queen's Gambit Declined, perhaps it would not be too time consuming, from time to time, to play over a game from First Steps: Queen's Gambit.

https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7652.pdf