Ladislaus Hengelmuller von Hengervar, Ambassador Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary from Austria-Hungary was in Washington and was chosen as referee. The umpires were Sir Julian Pauncefote, British Ambassador in Washington, for the British team and John Hay, a representative of the United States who was in London.
For the US team Richmond Pearson, a 45-year old lawyer from Asheville, North Carolina was on board 1 because he was thought to be the strongest player in Congress.
At board 2 was 43-year old lawyer John F. Shafroth of Denver, Colorado, who at one time served as president of the Denver Chess Club and was once city champion. However, he had not played chess for a dozen years before this match. In physical appearance he was said to have resembled the famous Kentucky player Jackson W. Showalter.
Manning board 3 was the oldest player on the team, Robert N. Bodine of Paris, Mississippi. Although he was well versed in the openings, his play was deemed to be rather superficial.
Holding down board 4 was T.S. Plowman, a 54-year old who for many years had been a bank president in Talladega, Alabama. Described as short, slim and active, he gave the appearance of being a nervous player, but he had done well in the practice games and defeated C. R. Shannon, the captain of the American team 
At last board was Irving Handy of Newark, Delaware. At age 36 he was the youngest man on the team. He was a lecturer, writer and journalist who had a reputation as a good player.
Britain's board 1 player, Horace Plunkett, was described as a small man with a gentle voice and manner. He was the brother of Lord Dunsany, an Irish writer and dramatist. Plunkett started an Irish farmers' association and wrote for a British magazine. He had also spent a long time in the US in the state of Wyoming where had land interests.
The best known British player was John Parnell whose more famous brother was Charles Stewart Parnell, an Irish nationalist politician who served as a Member of Parliament. The brothers were born into a powerful Anglo-Irish Protestant landowning family and Charles was a land reform agitator. Before the start of the game Parnell complained of not feeling well, but took his time and played carefully to score the win.
A. Strauss at 3rd board was a partner in a leading firm of tin merchants and a speculator on the British Metal Exchange.
Llywelyn Atherley-Jones was the son of Ernest Jones, a colorful character who was was a political agitator and once spent two years in jail. Ernest was a writer, lecturer, poet and a chartist, a trader who employs technical analysis in their trading and research by examining price charts and graphs.
At 5th board was F. W. Wilson who came from a long line of tenant farmers and was described as half a country squire and half a journalist because he was a pioneer in daily the journal business.
[Event "Commons vs, Representative Match"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1897.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "A. Strauss (GB)"]
[Black "R. Bodine (US)"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C67"]
[Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"]
[PlyCount "50"]
[EventDate "1897.??.??"]
{Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 {This defense was
first analyzed in the 19th century. Considered defensive and drawish it was
rarely used, except by Arthur Bisguier who often employed it, until the 2000
World Championship when Kramnik successfully used it against Kasparov.} 4. O-O
Nxe4 5. Re1 {The main line is 5.d4, nut the text is also seen and is quite
satisfactory.} (5. d4 Nd6 6. dxe5 Nxb5 7. a4 Nbd4 8. Nxd4 Nxd4 9. Qxd4 d5 10.
exd6 Qxd6 11. Qe4+ Qe6 12. Qd4 Qd6 13. Qe4+ Qe6 14. Qd4 Qd6 {While not forced,
this line has been used many times by GMs who want to pretend like they have
played a legitimate game, but really only want a draw.}) 5... Nd6 6. Bxc6 {
Seldom played, but it has the advantage of not being as drawish as 6.Nxe5} dxc6
7. Nxe5 Be7 8. d4 O-O 9. c3 Be6 (9... Re8 10. Nd2 Bf8 11. Nf1 f6 12. Nd3 Rxe1
13. Nxe1 {and the players soon agreed to a draw. Bach, M (2276)-Buhmann,R
(2563) Bad Wiessee 2010}) (9... Bf5 10. Nd2 Re8 11. Ndf3 Bf8 12. Bf4 f6 13. Nd3
Rxe1+ 14. Ndxe1 {with equality. Paredes Bustamante,P (2156)-Hoare,A (2088)
Khanty-Mansiysk RUS 2015}) 10. Qe2 {In recent games white has played 10.Nd2.
Here 10.Qe2 is not an especially good choice because, as will be seen, the Q
is exposed on the open file.} Re8 11. Be3 f6 {Black can claim to be slightly
better here as he begins to gain time.} 12. Nd3 Nc4 13. Nd2 (13. Bf4 {Trying
to keep the B is met by} Bf7 14. Nd2 Bd6 {and black is slightly better.}) 13...
Nxe3 14. fxe3 Bd6 15. e4 Bf5 16. Qf3 Bg6 17. Nf4 Bf7 18. Nf1 c5 19. d5 {
[%mdl 32]} f5 {It was worth considering playing 19...c4 to make room for the B
at c5} 20. Ne6 {This is certainly not bad, but he might have also played 20.
exf5} (20. exf5 Bxf4 21. Rxe8+ Qxe8 22. Qxf4 Bxd5 23. Ne3 Bc6 24. Rf1 {with
equal chances if black offers a trade of Qs with 24...Qe4 otherwise white has
slightly the better of if after he plays f5-f6.}) 20... Bxe6 (20... fxe4 21.
Rxe4 Qd7 22. Rae1 c6 {also results in equality, but white's pieces are more
actively positioned.}) 21. dxe6 fxe4 {This is somewhat inferior to 21...f4,
but black's position cam hardly be considered anywhere near losing.} (21... f4
22. e5 Bf8 23. Qxf4 Qe7 24. Nd2 Qxe6 {is equal.} 25. Nf3) 22. Rxe4 Rf8 (22...
Qg5 {getting his Q ito play would have been a more active defense. For example.
..} 23. Rae1 Rf8 24. Qe2 Rae8) 23. Qg4 (23. Qe2 {leaves white better. For
example...} Qe7 24. Ne3 Rae8 25. Rd1 {followed by Nc4 with considerable
pressure.}) 23... Qf6 {White enjoys a very slight advantage here, ut he is
oblivious to the lurking danger.} 24. Rae1 {[%mdl 8192] Strauss falls into a
mate in 3!} (24. Qe2 {eliminates all danger and after} Rae8 25. Ne3 Qh6 26. g3
Qg6 27. Nc4 {White is only slightly better. After 27...Rf6} Bxg3 {This is
tempting.} 28. hxg3 Qxg3+ 29. Qg2 Qxg2+ 30. Kxg2 {In 5 Shootouts in long (140+
moves!) and difficult endings white scored +2 -0 =3 with the draws coming at
the higher plies.}) 24... Qf2+ 25. Kh1 Qxf1+ {White resigned. Except for
white's unfortunate lapse on move 23 this was a well played game and Bodine's
play was especially precise.} 0-1
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