How do you take advantage in the opening?

I tend to follow the Smerdon school of thought when it comes openings. The ideal opening is:

1. Difficult to avoid (meaning I get to play it often),
2. Uncommon enough (meaning I will almost surely know it better than my opponent),
3. Tricky enough (meaning it offers the opponent plenty of chances to go wrong),
4. Solid enough (meaning it is not outright refuted and I can still just play chess if my opponent responds perfectly)

Everyone loves the idea of playing black in a Benko Gambit Accepted, but when you realize that less than 7% of your games as black will involve 5.bxa6, I find it is just not worth the time investment.

If I could add one thing to the above list, the fifth criteria would be "rich enough", meaning the opening offers a variety of play even after the same initial moves, as @dRr0x0rZZ said.

Your strength in the opening will increase notably as you develop the ability to see the implications of your moves in terms of TIME, SPACE, FORCE and PAWN STRUCTURE. It’s a powerful way to analyze a position, in order to understand what’s happening on the board.

I usually compare my position with similar positions I remember. This is a technique which I've got better appreciation of the opening. Comparing positions not only give you focus points to begin with, but it will also train your memory, and build up a store of familiar positions.

Comparing positions you have with positions fro your memory is a bit different from the usual technique of comparing the resultant position at the end of a series of moves with other resultant positions at the end of other series of moves. Comparing an actual position with your memory of similar positions is useful because it can improve your understanding of chess. The more positions you understand, the better player you will be.

So by comparing the new and unusual with the old and well known, patterns begin to emerge. Pay attention to them, and cultivate more and more of these patterns. That way your knowledge base grows, and you become better equipped.

I really thank you for your comments! Let's see some conclusions:

#2 @tpr Agreed. That implies databases management to know your opponent's plan/style.
#3 @ChessIteration Recognizing and utilizing the actual advantages -that's the matter. On the other side, you sometimes has to wait until the middle game for the advantage to really come into play.

To be continued...

Thanks for your comments! Let's see another conclusions:

#4 @SGMMCOOL It is not usually easy to immediately turn the advantage in the opening into victory. Develop and continue to formulate a plan!
#5 @VinCrack If you are to take advantage of your better development, it will have to be done by a sacrifice or by a pawn breakthrough in the centre. And the sooner the better, before your opponent coordinates pieces.

To be continued...

Here you are my big five in the opening:

1. Faster Development: if you coordinate your pieces right, your opponent will have trouble developing and you will get a much larger attacking chances.

2. Control of the Centre: you have to work with this one, by making the centre and centre surrounding squares your battlefield and attack from there.

3. Better Pawn Structure: same as centre but replace the word centre with pawn structure.

4. Material: simplify, win pieces and exchange pieces so that small advantadge tunes into an easier middlegame or a quick endgame win.

5. Preventing Opponent from Castling: here the advantage is related to king safety.

put your pieces on good Squares.. dont try fancy moves being a smartass... now when you put pieces on good Squares, dont lose a pawn or a piece in the beginning i your opponents somettimes threatens your pieces... by this esy step ypu should have a good position in move 10-15. good luck.

More conclusions:

#6 @Paulcarrero Chess opening -against people around our level or higher- is about gradually accumulating important, relatively small advantages, and watching them stack up and work.
#7 @dRr0x0rZZ In order to take advantage in the opening, a rigorous, rational, methodical and structured way of playing should be used. An approach lacking a systematic plan promotes chaotic decisions, resulting in losing the game. Before the game begins, there needs to be an organized plan to guarantee standardization on every move made during the “game” lifecycle. Let's face the problems in the opening and learn!

To be continued...

What about Nimzowitch's Seven Axioms?

1. Development is to be understood as the strategic advance of the troops toward the frontier line (the line between the fourth and fifth ranks).
2. A pawn move must not in itself be regarded as a devloping move, but merely as an aid to development.
3. To be ahead in development is the ideal to be aimed for.
4. Exchange with resulting gain of tempo.
5. Liquidation, with consequent development or disembarrassment.
6. The pawn centre must be mobile.
7. There is no time for pawn hunting in the opening, except for centre pawns.

Here you are more conclusions:

#9 @Zane2007 It is very important, if you want to be a strong chessplayer, to be familiar with some of the most popular openings and understand the theory behind every move.
#10 @Nick20 Studying opening chess theory is definitively not about retaining long lines of theory where you'll get lost if you opponent deviates. What to do next once you're out of your book? Practice, Practice and Practice!

To be continued...