Followed order to surrender, preserving the odds (6)
I believe the answer is:
obeyed
'followed' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'order to surrender preserving the odds' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'order' could be 'obe' (Order of the British Empire award) and 'obe' is found in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for obeyed that I've seen before include "Followed the rules" , "Carried out (a command)" , "Compiled with directive" , "Submitted to an authority" , "Followed commands" .)