Sounds great! I'm trying to find a magic square presentation that will work for me, so this resource may be just the thing.

I've found out that Joel Bauer asks for a number before he does the magic square, starts creating the square, and then asks if the person wants to change their mind. There's an interesting take.

Have you guys checked the David Berglass method?
His effect is double. He constructs a magic square to add to a certain number, then after the effect is apparently over, he reveals the spectator's birthday is made up from the four corners of the square.
Needs pre-show but the birthday of a person can be quite easy to get (see other discussions in the Penny for Your Thoughts forum)
For me the last phase gives the killer ending--the fact that a magic square was created is just the warm-up for the real thing.
Nir.

Digging back in the March 2002 issue of M.U.M., I see that Ted Lesley has an ingenious and amazing version called, "The Mentalist's Magic Square."

A deck of cards is shuffled, and a spectator cuts off a portion of the deck. Using the remaining cards, the performer constructs a 4x4 magic square, using the Aces as "1", Jacks as "11", Queens as "12", Kings as "13", Jokers as "0" and the number cards as their face values.

The performer shows how the magic square totals the same number in many different ways: rows, columns, diagonals, pan diagonals, 3x3 squares, four center squares, and so on.

The real kicker comes when you explain why you created a magic square with this particular total. When the spectator counts the number of cards they cut off earlier, it is exactly the same number as the magic square's totals!

The best part about the method is that the magic square will give the same total as the number of cut-off cards automatically! This one is definitely worth looking up.

I am not sure that introducing cards in a magic square routine is something I want.
While from the mathematical aspect it can be an amazing method, I think it plays less strong.
Maybe it is just me who doesn't like the cards in everything....

Nir

I can only reply that while it may not work for you, it seems to work for Ted Lesley.

**************

Here's yet another great magic square presentation. This time, it comes from the September 1994 issue of MAGIC, and is called, "Lucky Number Divination."

In this version, you start with a blank 5x5 grid, and the spectator directs you where to put the first few numbers. You then hand a sealed envelope to the spectator to hold for the duration. Then you rapidly fill in the remaining squares.

Once the grid is filled, you ask the spectator to circle any number. Once that number is circled, every number in the same row and column is crossed out. Any one of the remaining numbers is circled, and the numbers in the same row and column as that number are crossed out. This is continued until no more numbers can be chosen.

The selected numbers are added together. When the spectator opens the envelope that he was given, it has predicted the given total!

The angle of having the spectator start the creation of the magic square is quite unique, and seems to make any prediction impossible.


BTW, those who are interested in Ted Lesley's "Mentalist's Magic Square", which I mentioned earlier, might enjoy my modifications that are posted in the "Inner Thoughts" section of the Banquet Room.

Why? Cards and the magic square/matrix principle have been combined for years. Magic squares are not exclusive to mentalists. Peter Kane and Al Smith, to name just a couple, have published ideas combining cards and magic square ideas.

Paul.

I'm with Paul. Add the name Harry Lorayne to the list of those that have published ideas combining cards and magic squares.

Dennis Loomis
http://www.loomismagic.com

Can anyone help me with the name of the show where in Derren Brown performed the magic square as his encore? I'm really interested to check it out. Thanks!

I would love to see Derren's take on this

Thank you all for your thoughts on the magic Square. I first saw Rex Sykes perform this many years ago and it was because of his performance that made me want to perform it too.

Wow, what a trip down memory lane! And quite a completely different outcome than I "predicted" in terms of the release of my effect "Subliminal Square" as well as the comprehensive ebook "Subliminal Squares" that contains not only the work as per my quote above but several excellent contributions.

After all of these years, I can't quite recall the sequence of events. Please, anyone, correct me if I'm remembering this incorrectly but I don't think Kentonism II was ever released. Kenton agreed the material I was to contribute as mentioned above was too valuable to "just fade away" and it instead was picked up by Banachek and closed out his fine book "Psychological Subtleties 2" which was quite an honor.

Along with the contributions mentioned above (from Rich Hennessey, Greg Arce, Mike Ince, Steve Pellegrino, Joshua Quinn and Dr. Todd Landman, along with an inside joke from my pal Rick Roth) and my own refinements, this all came together in my ebook "Subliminal Squares." Kenton ended up using some completely different material of mine in his "Mind Reading" series in order to honor my commitment.

Even after all of these years I still receive new methods and presentations that have evolved from the central subliminal concepts that I'll hopefully one day get around to writing up and and assembling in a second volume (an especially clever variant from John Bannon comes to mind and is reason enough!). I continue to receive performance videos, the most recent being from Dr. Landman a year or so ago.

Given this all began as a "tangent" in an article I wrote up for Andy Leviss included in "The 73rd Hour," a book given to the attendees of the mentalism conference, "72 Hours," 13 years ago (and I believe my first ever published contribution) it has indeed been "a long, strange trip" that continues still! One I remain both proud of in terms of originality/creativity/impact and grateful in terms of the contributions and responses generated among our community. Tommy, thank you for reviving some very fond memories.

As many here, I've tried to find where derren did a magic square but I didn't find it. Someone knows ?

I've been using the letters NMP ...for .... Neuro-Mathematic Programming... Has anyone used this angle/word before? I have Bill's version in P2.

Dave, I tried to PM you but your box is full. Please email me at wcushman@bellsouth.net when you have a moment.

I did not expect my Magic Square research to take me down memory lane. It's been awesome reading the thoughts and suggestions on this thread and I'll be taking away from them.

For those of you still wondering about Derren's Presentation, it was done in his first stage show (I think it was his first anyway). Given how this was over 10 years ago and I've not heard that he's still doing it, I'll give a brief outline of the presentation (or as much as I can remember).

He asked a member of the audience to think of a 2 digit number. Once she had it in mind, he brought out a completed square, explaining how studies had revealed 16 numbers that everyone seemed to go for.

Spectator reveals her number, it obviously isn't on the board.

After some apologetic behaviour, he then reveals the square.

It reads short, but played for about 10 minutes and made for one hell of a climax to the show.

Pit Hartlings Datenschutz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkwv4SfhHb8