After 3...d6, the opening is called Philidor's Defense.
3.d4 is usually better here. 3.Bc4 can be played.
After 3...Bg4, I would castle. Castle early is often the best choice.
7.b4 doesn't look that good. Perhaps 7.h3 Bh5 8.g4 Bg6 9.Be3
10.a3 looks best.
11.Bd2 is not the best. Play 11.Bxc6+ bxc6 12.Rxe5+ and 13.Qe1 for a stronger game.
12.Nxd5 loses. Play 12.Bxc6 and 13.Rxe5.
15...Qxf3 is wrong. 15...Nd4 wins for Black.
18.Ra5?? loses. Play 18.Rae1 or 18.Rxe8 and 19.Re1
I like to 3 d4 in response to 2 ...d6
Driving the bishop away with h3 is good, and you can recapture with queen if he takes knight
11 Rxe4 breaks a pin, wins a pawn,opens a file and either retreats a bishop or prevents catling
!2 ... Nxd5 was a better response to your move, winning a piece (as far as i can tell)
Another game that I played today. I think I did much better but made a few tactical errors and overlooked some moves which cost me material. I won only on time but the resulting position shows that it would have been an easy win for white.
thanks for the comments guys.
Paraphrasing Reuben Fine from memory "The philidor has innumerable traps all of which are to white's advantage, but if black simply develops normally, they are all easily avoided". There is a local master here who plays it a lot and calls it "stodgey". I am often frustrated by how solid it is.
I think the best general suggestion for white (I beat the master the last time we played the philidor and I don't care if he did blunder, I am bragging) is to go for an open game and put good old general center pressure on black. 3 d4 is book I believe, and may well be necessary.
The suggested 11Rxe4 looks like a trap as Kf8 and black threatens both your rook and knight.
I don't exactly record my oponnent's nickname but if you played this game I'll give you credit for it so. I just took chess seriously in the last month or so and I have trouble making the right opening moves. I always find myself trying to equalize material which results in bad positions. My opponent makes the right captures and I don't. I think the first 12-14 moves are worth analyzing, beyond that it's a loss.