Hello. I’m a beginner. When you say “opening,” how many moves do you mean?
A 2-4 move sequence.
This is ridiculous. The opening is over when you developed all 4 minor pieces and castled to safety. That requires 7 moves minimum.
Learning 4 moves and learning that it is called "Open Sicilian" does exactly nothing.
On the other hand, finding the list of "opening principles" and learning them does quite a lot.
A beginner at chess should not have to memorize tons of move-heavy variations to enjoy the game. When I say 2-4 move sequence, I mean that that is all a beginner needs to know. From there the opening is simple development. At lower levels, general opening principles are much more important then memorizing openings. Additionally, beginners should focus on middlegame, tactics, and seeing several moves ahead, as those are more important than specific openings.
This is ridiculous. The opening is over when you developed all 4 minor pieces and castled to safety. That requires 7 moves minimum.
Learning 4 moves and learning that it is called "Open Sicilian" does exactly nothing.
On the other hand, finding the list of "opening principles" and learning them does quite a lot.
Generally speaking.
Some openings, you can leave the king in the centre of the board for a while though, like in the Sicilian or Sämisch King's Indian.
Also yes learning opening principles instead of just openings is important. This way you learn to play good chess, regardless of what your opponent plays, instead of just an opening.
Learning openings is also still important though as they can demonstrate those principles. They introduce ideas to you which can be relevant in many scenarios. As long as we understand the openings instead of just memorising.