Chair Test ebooks are a popular thing in magic these days. Much like “Any Card At Any Number” and “Torn and Restored Card,” it seems as if everybody has their own version. TC Tahoe details his work on the plot in this short 15 page PDF. While many routines in this genre are complicated and convoluted, TC’s presentation is as direct as it gets.

1. Three volunteers sit on any of three chairs at random.

2. Each participant randomly selects a colored slip of paper.

3. The colors they choose match the colors on the back of their chairs.

Boom-Boom-Boom. There are a few extra bits of business thrown into the presentation, but the effect is as simple as that. Like other routines in this genre, getting three participants on stage for this quick effect may seem a bit clunky. It’s best if you can use at least one of them for a follow-up routine. This helps keep the show moving at a brisk pace and allows you to select the person that you feel would be best after having the change to observe them on stage for a few moments.

The method is also extremely direct. So direct, in fact, that I could describe the method in three words… I won’t do that here. Suffice it to say that if you saw TC perform this in his show, you would not be fooled in any way. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. You wouldn’t be fooled by him performing the Invisible Deck either, but we all know that it kills laymen.

The routine will require you to purchase (or create) a specific prop that may be hard to come by. There’s a good chance that you have a version of it already in your collection, but to perform the routine exactly as written, you may have to do some searching. I tried finding the prop online to no success. You could make one on your own relatively easily if you had access to the right materials.

There is a second routine explained in the eBook as well, but it suffers from a fundamental flaw that renders it almost completely useless. The effect is simple. Two chairs are on stage with an envelope on each one. You ask the participant to select a chair for himself leaving one for you. The envelopes are opened. The participant removes a slip of paper from his envelope; it has “YOURS” printed in big bold letters. You open your envelope to reveal a paper that says “MINE.”

While the use of “YOURS” and “MINE” lends itself to a cute presentation, it also has the possibility of confusing the audience. It’s not that much of a stretch to see how the performer could have used these same words to interpret the spectator’s choice in another way if the situation were reversed. While this isn’t the method used, if the audience thinks this is how the effect could have been accomplished, all has been lost. To be fair, you could use TC’s method to reveal the volunteer’s name and the magician’s name on the papers. However, this would require you to know their name in advance.

Both routines in the eBook are taught clearly. However, a few misspellings, missing words, and grammar mistakes are present throughout the document. There are at least two sentences that make no sense when reading them. In a publication of this size, there is absolutely no excuse for this. One proofreader would have found most of these mistakes on the first read through. While they won’t impair your ability to learn the workings of either routine, they are certainly frustrating.

Overall, while there’s nothing innovative here in terms of method or presentation, it is a fine way to perform a chair test. If you’re looking for one to add to your act and want to find a routine that is direct, packs flat, and is easy to do, I think you’ll enjoy what TC has to offer.

- Available for $15 from www.Lybrary.com

With so many magic square routines in existence, sometimes it’s difficult to distinguish what one routine different from another. In the case of Dr. Bill’s Subliminal Squares, the difference is simple: instead of the square being influenced by a chosen number, the chosen number is influenced by the square. That may sound complicated at first, but the effect on the audience is quite simple.

The magician talks about the history of submilinal messenges, giving examples about how movie theaters used to splice the words “eat” or “drink” into movies to increase concession stand sales. He offers to attempt an experiment to prove how easily the mind can by influenced by such messages. He flashes an already completed magic square to a participant and asks him to call out a number between 20 and 100.

The performer shows the magic square to the audience once more, revealing that although the numbers look random, every column and row add up to the chosen number. The diagonals are also shown to sum to the target number. Even the four corners add up correctly. In all 24 combinations of the chosen number are shown to the audience, proving the power of the human mind and subliminal messenges.

There are many methods detailed in the eBook, each with its own share of trade-offs. Some work better for close-up while others are more suited for stage work. The techniques involved are standard magic and mentalism fare (that’s not a bad thing). Experienced performers will be able to adapt to the mechanics of the routine easily. If you’re interested in the effect, I’m sure you’ll find something to fit your performing situation.

Seven other performers (ok, really six- one contributor’s seems like sort of an inside joke) also contribute handling tips and additional routines. Rich Hennessey’s is probably the most interesting, so I’ll describe it here. The magician removes a picture of a blank drive-in movie screen and shows it briefly to a participant. He explains how movie theaters used to flash submliminal messenges to movie-goers in an effort increase concession sales.

The picture is replaced in an envelope, and the spectator is asked to close their eyes and imagine buying a snack at the drive in. He is also asked to imagine parking his car in a numbered space from 1 to 100. The picture is removed and held up to a light. The name of the spectator’s chosen snack appears on the movie screen. The spectator announces the parking space number. It is revealed to be written on the back of the envelope.

Overall, I found the eBook to be very informative. Then again, I’m a total math geek and am interested in magic square work. There are a lot of different approaches to the presentation of a magic square that were new to me. Most of these focus more on the mind power of the audience rather than the mental prowess of the performer as is usually the case. This was a welcome change.

Really the only negative I have to comment on is the price tag. The eBook is fairly lengthy at 63 pages and magic square template pages for business cards, index cards, projector sheets, and PowerPoint Presentations are included. That being said, $50 is a rather hefty price for those who are simply curious. On the other hand, if you’re looking to add a magic square routine into your show, you will find some fine presentational ideas here.

- Available for $50 from Lybrary.com

Good stand up effects are something that I’m always on the lookout for. If the effect “packs flat and plays big,” I’m even more interested. Mes(s)merize by German magician Stefan Olschewski certainly fits into that category. In short, it is a prediction effect. One that allows the spectators a tremendous amount of freedom in their selections. Here’s a breakdown from a spectator’s perspective.

The audience arrives to their seats to find a business card, a pen, and an envelope. They are given the instructions to concentrate on a single thought and to write it down on the business card. For example, they may be asked to write down something that makes them happy. They have complete freedom of choice; there is no force. They seal the card into the opaque envelope.

The show begins and the mentalist draws attention to a wine glass containing a black envelope as a prediction. At some point, the performer asks the audience to “send him their thoughts”… literally. He asks everyone in the audience to throw their envelopes onto the stage. A paper ball is tossed into the audience to select a random volunteer to pick up a few of the envelopes. This person narrows down her selection to one envelope in particular. It may even be signed at this point to eliminate the idea that it could possibly be switched.

The performer opens a few of the envelopes that were not selected, showing each thought inside to be different. Everything seems completely random. The selected envelope is opened and the word is read aloud; let’s say it says “Ice Cream.” The spectator now removes the prediction envelope from the wine glass. She opens it herself to read the prediction. It matches the freely selected thought! Finally, the paper ball that was tossed into the audience to select the volunteer is opened to reveal a final message: “Tonight, a beautiful lady named [insert volunteer here] will think of Ice Cream!”

The method is very clever. Similar ideas have been used before and the author provides a number of credits at the end. There is virtually no work that must be done during the performance. Most of the work comes before the show when you have to complete a relatively small setup. The only limitation is that it is best if the cards, envelopes, and writing utensils are passed out to the audience before the show begins. This will prevent the dead time that would occur if you had the audience write their thoughts during the performance. This makes it best suited for formal theatrical shows although it could certainly be used in other performing conditions.

You will also have to consider the expense of going through a large number of supplies during each show. The author provides another approach using the same basic method that eliminates the need to seal the cards in the envelopes. However, this means that when the cards are thrown, some may land face up revealing the secret information. The spectator would then select from the face down cards that remain. This isn’t necessarily weaker; it’s just a little bit different effect.

The explanations are clear and the method is sound. I was a little disappointed with the boldness of the final prediction with the crumpled ball of paper, but there are other manners of accomplishing this same thing in the literature.

Stefan provides many additional ideas for how to use the general principle for other routines: chair tests, serial number divinations, drawing duplications, etc. I am sure you will find something to suit you. If you are looking for a strong stand-up prediction effect and the effect sounds like something that would work in your performing venues, you won’t be disappointed.

Recommended.

- Available for $20 from Stefan’s Website or www.Lybrary.com