Is it possible to go back to basics?

An odd question I understand but let me explain.

I basically [no reason for expletives -- MOD] up royally when I got back into chess a few years ago. I used to play as a kid, and won a lot more than I lost. When I got back into it I just assumed I knew chess basics and just dove right into openings. Turns out I was just a kid who didnt blunder as much as the other kids and either didnt actually understand or I just cant remember now. So the reality is that I learned openings before learning chess.

So by now Im a 1600~ish player who knows openings way above my level and has a middlegame understanding of a lot less than that. I always have a plan and have a good understanding I just feel like my rating is reflecting my middlegame understanding more than anything. Winning won endgames Im surprisingly decent at.

I understand or have heard as a beginner you should play e4 d4/e5 d5. Is that possible for me now? With me knowing openings I feel like Im cheating it or not getting the proper understanding of it I should have got before. I dont play e5 as black, but I know slav structures decently. I know a lot of d4 lines but stay away from e4, though I have a line for every defense to e4.

The more Im typing this the dumber I sound so Ill cut it off here and ask if its possible again at 1600 to try to re educate myself.

You say you don't understand the moves, you've just memorized moves in the opening. So it's not re-education is it? It's just education. The purpose of playing classically (like e4 e5) isn't to survive the opening, but that the most basic and logical ideas will apply during the middlegame.

@Goob63

It might sound crazy.

However, chess is not a mystery my friend.

If you feel you are stuck in a slump it is because you are!

The reason this happens is usually because of our own stubborn-ness!

You know your chess better than anyone.

What are you procrastinating on?

What positions do you hate playing in?

What opening lines do you hate to see from your opponent?

What openings do you refuse to play?

All the answers you come up with is why you are stuck in your slump.

And those same answers will be your redemption.

Change everything your doing!!!!

Play the positions you hate!

Play them until you love them and learn from them so you can advance.

It won't be easy!

Nothing in life is ever easy!

You say you don't play 1...e5.

Well your denial to play 1...e5 may very well be another reason you are in the 1600ish area instead of the 1800ish area.

You should play 1..e5 every day until you love it!

I played 1.. e5 back when I was around 800-1300 rated, then switched to scicillian, french, etc. Once I got to 2100 I traded back to ..e5 and are playing it as my main move as for now. It is not about what move you play, but what you are most comfortable with. To improve you have to experiment

Incorrect statement!

It does matter what move you play.

The reason it matters is because you need to be comfortable with every single move!

If you are lacking comfort in a single area of your chess than that is your weakness which needs to be improved.

Many Grand Masters are well rounded players.

They can play 1...e5 -  c5 - d5 - c6 many different lines with great success!

That is my point

so... you spent SO much time learning the opening that you Can't learn chess fundementals?

this is for real?  that is Wierd. 

I completely agree that learning openings isn't learning chess, but how does this stop you from doing what everyone else does to get good at chess? ie. tactics, reviewing your games for tactical/positional mistakes, annotated games of chess master, and endgame technique.

I don't get the "dead end with no way out".

I only see that you childhood didn't make you well rounded in chess.  Neither did mine. at least you got to 1600.  I've been probably around the 1200 mark in slow chess most of my life.

taking chess more seriously when you are older is hardly novel, MANY people on chess.com are doing that.

It's hard to unlearn mistakes, but there's no dead end.

Without good coaching from a young age you're pretty screwed in terms of becoming a top player, so maybe a dead end in that sense, but improvement at a low level is all but guaranteed.

"If you find an opening here that appeals to you and you wish to find out more about it, the next step would be to obtain an introductory text devoted entirely to that subject." - GM John Emms in his 2006 introduction to basic opening principles, Discovering Chess Openings

"Throughout the book Emms uses excellently chosen examples to expand the readers understanding of both openings and chess in general. Thus equipped the student can carry this knowledge forward to study individual openings and build an opening repertoire. ... For beginning players, this book 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, reviewing the 2006 Emms book

https://web.archive.org/web/20140627114655/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen91.pdf

Chess might have fooled you.

However, It hasn't fooled me!

The way to win the game is to check mate your opponent or make them resign

It is not a mystery!

It is a simple objective!

monsieur Mr X.

another Week! and , again I think I disagree with you.  having simple objectives not make the task easy to understand.   in fact, if your opponent is a computer, it can be impossible.

I can only agree that with a lot of work for many, and against many opponents the mystery of how to defeat a given opponent can be found, understood and practiced.

these days there is more resources than ever!

what people lack is time, motivation, and persistance...

I didn't read all of the responses so I hope this general sentiment hasn't been repeated, but I have done precisely what you are asking. I was playing the Sicilian and King's Indian and doing okay around rating 1750-1800 but felt I wasn't really "understanding" what was going on. So I started playing and studying the Queen's Gambit Declined as Black and the Open Games against 1.e4. I have found it very enjoyable, and also the ideas were easier for me (not saying it is easy to play those openings, but the concepts were not as difficult as things like Sicilian). 

So I don't think it's too late!

Yes the instructions of the game are simple.

The Objective of the game is simple!

However, Trying to execute the simple objective is were the difficulty comes from.

I heard a story from a stranger with whom I played a round of golf. 

Wife come homes one day, "Honey, we need to talk. You stay late at your employer too often. It seems that I rarely see you."

"I'm sorry , Babe. I'll finish the current project and then cut back.

"Also, you always pick your nose while you are home and we are watching television."

"I'm sorry. I'll go to the bathroom."

"Third, I need more variety in the bedroom."

He then said, "OMG! It's my father."

"Your father??"

"Yes, when I was a child, he always said, 'work hard, keep your nose clean and don't  [no reason for expletives -- MOD] up'."

Yes it is possible to relearn the basics. many people have done it before you - good luck!