Scaccic / Chess Voice No. 1-21 - 1968-1971

Chess Voice had the good fortune to publish during the Golden Age of California chess; 1968 to 1985. The chess landscape in the mid to late 1960's was dominated by chess clubs and chess club leagues; tournaments, not played within a club, were intermittent. The indefatigable Martin E. Morrison and his sidekick, Elwin C. Meyers, started by publishing the En Passant magazine for the Oakland Chess Club from 1964 to early 1968. Being an astute chess politician with his ear to the ground, he began laying the groundwork for a San Francisco Bay Area chess organization early on. Of course, there were two organizations with official periodicals already in place; the California State Chess Federation with the California Chess Reporter (1951-1976) and the Chess Friends of Northern California with Chess in Action (1953-1970).

In 1965, the magazine's motto was, "The Official Newspaper for the Oakland Central YMCA Chess Club." By 1966 the motto was, "The Official Oakland Chess Club Newspaper and the Voice of Chess for the East Bay." In May 1968, he made his initial move into California chess politics with the first issue of Scaccic Voice which proclaimed, "Central California's Chess News Magazine and Official Organ of the Central California Chess Association." There was also a small sheet "Notice to En Passant Subscribers", tucked into the two-page newsletter indicating that their subscription to En Passant to being converted to Scaccic Voice. He sent a copy of the newsletter to every member of every chess club in Northern California!