How can 1500 players learn openings in depth like grand masters?

I am having trouble learning openings in depth. I would like to learn every idea behind every move played in the openings but i never have a good understanding of the openings i play. I dont just want to memorize 6 moves into the opening and then be on my own, so how can i learn an opening like a grand master?

BY being a GM

 Just memorize.

Well that's the thing... to really understand the opening you have to know all about the middlegame (tactics, strategy, positional play) and endgame.

So to know the opening like a GM you have to be a GM

But ok, the more helpful advice is study openings by learning the middlegames they lead to. That way you wont be on your on whether it's because you're at the end of the memorization, or because your opponent deviates with a strange move early.

It can help to play over full games. Grab 50 recent GM games off chessgames.com by going through top tournaments (going to a top GMs profile and seeing a list of their games will basically give you a list of (almost) all recent top tournaments).

Once you have 50 games, go through them 5 or 10 at a time, and take notes like:

 - which side of the board did white seek play on? (queenside, center, kingisde)
 - How did they seek play? (mainly with pawns or pieces?)
 - What were the pawn breaks?
 - Same questions for black

That's how you learn an opening
(or at least, that's how I go about it when I'm serious. I'll use a database for reference too though)

This also exposes you to the typical maneuvers, tactics, endgames, etc.

Sometimes modern GM games are way too... modern (the players make a big mess of the position to make it harder on each other when going for a win). In that case use classical games like from Botvinnik, Tal, etc. (50s. 60s. 70s)

Oh, and if your opening is a good one, but not commonly played at the top level, then you can do a search for that opening on chessgames.com

I would actually put the dividing line at the Alekhine / Botvinnik transition, rather than as late as Tal.

I think of Botvinni, Smyslov, Petrosian, Tal (is that the right order, maybe I mixed up the last two) as the same sort of time period... which sure, isn't that exact of me

In the beginning, chess was rather humdrum and formulaic. It seemed that Tarrasch had turned the game into a rather dull science, to which Capablanca had added a rather dull perfect technique.

Chess got much more dynamic and less stereotyped under Alekhine.

Then when Alekhine died still holding the World title (and a proto-FIDE organization stepped in and started organizing the WCC) the game got far more complex under Botvinnik and his "Soviet School" rivals.

1. Stick to one opening for white. Two to three opening for black.

2. Additional stick to one variation of that opening. (that give you about 6 moves depth)

3. Keep playing hundered of fast blitz games with that opening (cos you will see from 4 to 40 variations from moves 6-12) 

4. Analyse again on new variations that you havent seen. 

5. Go further analysis on old games of the best line of your choice from those move 12 and above.

"... For beginning players, [Discovering Chess Openings] 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)
"... I feel that the main reasons to buy an opening book are to give a good overview of the opening, and to explain general plans and ideas. ..." - GM John Nunn (2006)
"... If the book contains illustrative games, it is worth playing these over first ..." - GM John Nunn (2006)
"... 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)
"... Everyman Chess has started a new series aimed at those who want to understand the basics of an opening, i.e., the not-yet-so-strong players. ... I imagine [there] will be a long series based on the premise of bringing the basic ideas of an opening to the reader through plenty of introductory text, game annotations, hints, plans and much more. ..." - FM Carsten Hansen (2002)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627055734/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen38.pdf
"The way I suggest you study this book is to play through the main games once, relatively quickly, and then start playing the variation in actual games. Playing an opening in real games is of vital importance - without this kind of live practice it is impossible to get a 'feel' for the kind of game it leads to. There is time enough later for involvement with the details, after playing your games it is good to look up the line." - GM Nigel Davies (2005)
"... Review each of your games, identifying opening (and other) mistakes with the goal of not repeatedly making the same mistake. ... It is especially critical not to continually fall into opening traps – or even lines that result in difficult positions ..." - NM Dan Heisman (2007)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627062646/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman81.pdf

Go to youtube. Search gingergm london system. Watch part one. Notice how he talks about ideas and middlegame plans. Now find something similar on your openings of choice. If you name them here, you can probably get recommended material.

Most of the time, one faces a position with no knowledge of a specific move indicated in a book. One has to accept that as part of chess, and think of opening knowledge as a sometimes helpful aid.

"... I think people tend to be afraid of the main lines. They think: ... sure, I'm going to take up (say) 5 Bg5 against the Semi-Slav, once I've got time and learned it properly. ... My advice is - don't bother. The more you learn anyway, the more you'll recognize how little you know. ... 5 Bg5 is a good move - get it on the board, get ready to fight, and see what happens.

Sure, there will come a time, whether on move two or move twenty, when your knowledge of theory runs out and you have to decide what to do on your own. ... sometimes you will leave theory first, sometimes your opponent. Nothing will stop this happening. It happens in every well-contested GM game at some point, usually a very significant point. This is a part of the game: an important part, something you have to get better at. ... to improve you have to challenge yourself; ..." - IM John Cox (2006)

"He had the totally undeserved reputation of being the greatest living endgame player. His trick was to keep his openings simple and then play with such brilliance that it was decided in the middle game before reaching the ending - even though his opponent didn't always know it. His almost complete lack of book knowledge forced him to push harder to squeeze the utmost out of every position." – Bobby Fischer (on Capablanca)

"Since my collaboration with Kasparov, my strategy is as follows: At a time when all players prepare themselves with software, my goal is not to see if my computer is better than my opponent's. In the openings, I just need to reach a position that gives me play. The idea is to be smart rather than trying to crush the other. I try to figure out where he wants to take me and I do my best to not put myself in positions where I could fall into his preparation. I try to play 40 or 50 good moves, and I challenge my opponent to do as much. Even if the position is simple and seems simple, I try to stay focused and creative, to find opportunities that lie within. Not to play it safe. It is important to know how to adapt to all situations.

In this sense, I have that in common with Karpov in his heyday: he believed deeply in his abilities, he was very combative and won a lot of games in tournaments because even when he was not in a good position, he felt he could still win, and played all the way. I'm somewhat similar in spirit: during a competition, I always believe in myself."

https://en.chessbase.com/post/magnus-carlsen-explains-his-approach-to-chess

watch fischer games , also capablanca , do this consistently , till you can do it blindfold , they are imo the best at classical opening theory

id certainly recommend fischer v spassky 1972 world champ match , as the ruy lopez games are very instructional