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.
A. Strauss (GB)–R. Bodine (US)0–1C67Commons vs, Representative Match1897Stockfish 15.1
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense 1.e4 e5 2.f3 c6 3.b5 f6 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. 4.0-0 xe4 5.e1 The main line is 5.d4, nut the text is also seen and is quite
satisfactory. 5.d4 d6 6.dxe5 xb5 7.a4 bd4 8.xd4 xd4 9.xd4 d5 10.exd6 xd6 11.e4+ e6 12.d4 d6 13.e4+ e6 14.d4 d6 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...d6 6.xc6
Seldom played, but it has the advantage of not being as drawish as 6.Nxe5 dxc6 7.xe5 e7 8.d4 0-0 9.c3 e6 9...e8 10.d2 f8 11.f1 f6 12.d3 xe1 13.xe1 and the players soon agreed to a draw. Bach, M (2276)-Buhmann,R
(2563) Bad Wiessee 2010 9...f5 10.d2 e8 11.df3 f8 12.f4 f6 13.d3 xe1+ 14.dxe1 with equality. Paredes Bustamante,P (2156)-Hoare,A (2088)
Khanty-Mansiysk RUS 2015 10.e2 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. e8 11.e3 f6 Black can claim to be slightly
better here as he begins to gain time. 12.d3 c4 13.d2 13.f4 Trying
to keep the B is met by f7 14.d2 d6 and black is slightly better. 13...xe3 14.fxe3 d6 15.e4 f5 16.f3 g6 17.f4 f7 18.f1 c5 19.d5
f5 It was worth considering playing 19...c4 to make room for the B
at c5 20.e6 This is certainly not bad, but he might have also played 20.
exf5 20.exf5 xf4 21.xe8+ xe8 22.xf4 xd5 23.e3 c6 24.f1 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...xe6 20...fxe4 21.xe4 d7 22.ae1 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 f8 23.xf4 e7 24.d2 xe6 is equal. 25.f3 22.xe4 f8 22...g5 getting his Q ito play would have been a more active defense. For example.
.. 23.ae1 f8 24.e2 ae8 23.g4 23.e2 leaves white better. For
example... e7 24.e3 ae8 25.d1 followed by Nc4 with considerable
pressure. 23...f6 White enjoys a very slight advantage here, ut he is
oblivious to the lurking danger. 24.ae1 Strauss falls into a
mate in 3! 24.e2 eliminates all danger and after ae8 25.e3 h6 26.g3 g6 27.c4 White is only slightly better. After 27...Rf6 xg3 This is
tempting. 28.hxg3 xg3+ 29.g2 xg2+ 30.xg2 In 5 Shootouts in long (140+
moves!) and difficult endings white scored +2 -0 =3 with the draws coming at
the higher plies. 24...f2+ 25.h1 xf1+ 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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