Bogo-Indian Defense: Retreat Variation 10. Nbd2 Ba6
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Statistics from Lichess
3,399 games: White 46.7% / Draw 8.9% / Black 44.4%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,0151,015 | ||
| 617617 | ||
| 616616 | ||
| 424424 | ||
| 215215 | ||
| 191191 | ||
| 133133 | ||
| 8888 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 25, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.11 The position is about equal
Best play: 11. Rfe1 Nh5 12. Be5 Rc8 13. Bh3 g5 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Qa4 Bb7
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Bogo-Indian Defense: Retreat Variation (ECO E11, Indian Defenses) is a variation of the Bogo-Indian Defense: Retreat Variation, reached after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 Be7 6. Bg2 O-O 7. O-O c6 8. Qc2 Nbd7 9. Bf4 b6 10. Nbd2 Ba6 (10 moves).
In 3,399 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 46.7%, Black 44.4% and 8.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 11. b3, in 30% of those games.
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How to answer 10…Ba6
11. Rfe1 scores best for White: 54.5%, with White winning 49.1% and Black 40.0% of 617 games. The most played, 11. b3, scores 50.7% in 1,015 games, and 11. Rfd1 scores lowest: 47.0%. Stockfish's first choice is also 11. Rfe1.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Bogo-Indian Defense: Retreat Variation (E11)”. Lichess data as of 25 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/bogo-indian-defense-retreat-variation-12