As a schoolboy, not really understanding the King's Indian, I used to play a kind of 'Queen's Gambit Declined' against it, very like White's play here, but with c2-c4 thrown in. It turns out to be quite a playable line. I enjoyed fair success with it.

Lots of variations possible here. I like a Slav type system or a Benoni game to throw white off guard sometimes.

I think 4.c4 might be better.

4. Nbd2 protects against Ne4! from black so it would be my choice.

I figured they were the same lol

Well I don't think he has anything better. 8. Ne5 loses to f7-f6, forking the Knight and Bishop. 8. Nh4 loses to h7-h6 followed by g6-g5 and the knight runs out of squares.

Agreed, there is nothing better given the position.

[10 May] An SOS move... [14 May] I didn't think White had a better move neither. My point was that if this was the best he had, then he was already deep in 'Mayday' country, for mine.

You could hand Black's centre a spear and call it 'Goliath.'

Was castling here a blunder? It certainly isn't how I would have defended from here.

Indeed, castling was a mistake.

Yeah, normally castling is a good thing where you can protect your king, but in instances like this one, it was a mistake indeed.

'You got to walk that lonesome valley,/ you got to walk it for yourself./ Ain't nobody else will walk it for you:/ you got to walk it for yourself.'/