In order to play on Bridge Base Online, you will need to create an unique BBO user name and password and be asked to fill out a brief registration form. The required information needed to have a successful registration is your chosen user name, your chosen password and your email address. The information regarding your password and email address is private to BBO and not visible to other users when looking at your profile.

BBO has hundreds of thousands of members so, don't be surprised if the user ID you select is unavailable. Try to think of a user ID that will be easy for you to remember and that rates to be unused. If the user ID you want to use is taken you can often add a number to the name to be able to use it. You do want to be unique though so keep trying until you find a name that is available and unique to you.

Your password should be both easy to remember and hard for another person to guess. Use a random mix of letters and numbers for the most secure password and avoid passwords like "password" or "1234." You should never share your BBO password with anyone. Our software is set to remember the user ID and password you select, but please write down this information where you can find it if you forget.

The information that you enter as a new member will become part of your User Profile. Other BBO members will be able to see your User Profile and the personal information you wish to share with others. Your User Profile will be your identity on BBO so give some thought to the information you choose to provide.

Whether or not you enter personal information in the other spaces (your real name, etc.) is entirely up to you. We suggest that, at a minimum, you include the country you live in as well as your best guess as to your skill level as a player. By making this information available to other BBO members you will increase the chances of being able to find partners and opponents with whom you rate to enjoy playing.

Use the "Other" area to enter information such as your favorite conventions or bidding systems, your accomplishments as a player, the language(s) you speak, etc. If you wish others to have your email address, include it in this section.

In describing your Skill Level, it is not important how well you think you play since most bridge players are unable to assess their own skills with any accuracy. What matters is your level of experience and the degree of success that you have had in live competitive clubs and tournaments. Here are some examples of terms that you can use and how they should be interpreted:

• Novice - Someone who recently learned to play bridge
• Beginner - Someone who has played bridge for less than one year
• Intermediate - Someone who is comparable in skill to most other members of BBO
• Advanced - Someone who has been consistently successful in clubs or minor tournaments
• Expert - Someone who has enjoyed success in major national tournaments
• World Class - Someone who has represented their country in World Championships

After you finish filling out the registration form, click the button regarding the Privacy Policy and review the information in a popup window. Then click the link for Terms of Service and review that information. After review, click the box to accept the Terms of Service, or you can cancel the registration at that point by clicking the Cancel button.

Finally, click the Register button. A confirmation email will go to your email address with a link to activate your account. The activation must be completed by clicking on the link in your confirmation email within one week.

Enjoy your time on BBO!