I’ve written below for players when feel confident enough to go into the Daily DIDO (Drop In Drop Out) tournament (through which you can gain EBU points – not one master point per DIDO point, though, sadly.  (If you eventually play in the “Indys” and do well enough to win Online Master Points, that is point per point.)

Once you have done an SSD (very brief system card) with any player, the BCL system remembers and puts it up for you whenever you are partners.  You can always change it before starting to play if you want.

If you've spectated or kibitzed, you'll have noticed that most players use the chat box for normal bridge courtesies but abbreviated - “Tnx p” (or similar) “wdp” for well done partner and “wdopps” etc.

Some players also chat a lot. Some say very little. (As in f2f bridge, it's not polite to go on chatting instead of playing.)  The polite thing is for at least one of each pair to greet each pair of opponents when they turn up. 

Another  helpful “chat” abbreviation.  If a player has to leave the table temporarily (there’s somebody at the door, the cat needs to be let out, etc)

Then it’s BRB for be right back.

Might then get a “welcb” or just “wb” for welcome back, which is mainly used when a player’s been temporarily disconnected.

Alerting is same as f2f except that there are no announcements - so Stayman and transfers are alerted as well as convention bids below 3NT, funny doubles, etc.  There is no STOP card in the box, so don’t bother looking!

You alert your partner's bid as in f2f. (It’s different on Bridge Base Online – there you alert your own bids.)

You can always look at opponents' SSD to see what system they are playing. It's about 50/50 between some version of Acol / SAYC. Certainly worth checking strength of their 1NT openings!  If you have any question about opps’ system, use the chat box to ask when it’s your turn to bid or to play a card (as in f2f, of course).

Don't worry if you suddenly find yourself out of the room! The wrong side of the green door, so to speak.  Everybody loses connection from time to time. It's an irritation but you just do nothing except click on “ENTER” when the system lets you. It doesn’t take long as a rule.  (I usually say something like "Srry for pause - lost connect”.  Some say “frozen”.  Some say “chucked out dammit”, or similar.) If it's a long pause there will be a system message to those still in the room asking them to wait for a few mins before giving up on the missing player.  If you have just played a card or made a bid when you get cut out, the play will have moved round to your next turn when you get back in.

In the DIDO, there are four boards per round. Nobody should quit (connection allowing) without completing a four board round once they have started in it. On the very rare occasions when players are suddenly called away for a family emergency or whatever, they are very apologetic.

To get on the DIDO leader board (and maybe get master points as a fraction of your DIDO points) you have to play at least four rounds (not necessarily consecutively, though – the daily DIDO goes on all day and all night!).

Eventually, you might want to play in the “Indys”  (Individual Tournaments) to have a slightly different bridge experience!. They consist of two rounds, nine boards each round and three different partners each round.  At first you’ll have the job of agreeing quite a few new SSDs but after a while, you’ll have much fewer to do.

Trust you will all get into tournament play before too long – and enjoy them.