Hello everyone!
Today’s topics are: A Computer Problem…; Addendum to “The Kaps Force”; Genesis of “The Kaps Force”; The Magic Circle Card Trick; Unexpected Agenda… On This Day: “October 5 – Paul Chosse on Jack McMillen”; Peter Marvey – The Magic-House
These are The Magic Memories 220, gone online Sunday, October 5th, 2025, at 0:07h sharp.
All The Magic Memories from 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 including the Magic Advent Calendar from 2020, can be found HERE.
As you are reading this I am just back from three major travels: The Magialdia magic convention in Vitoria, near Bilbao, Spain, the French national convention in Troyes, and a four-day visit to Paris.
As always, I was going to give you a few impressions for your reading pleasure, but a major computer problem will have me postpone this to The Magic Memories 221 of November 2nd, and I am very sorry for that.
Come to think of it: Maybe there is some iMac-Dropbox expert reading this who can help (maybe as a little thank-you for the 220 free The Magic Memories up to here?).
Here is the problem:
I use iMac (Retina 4K, 2019) under Sequoia 15.6.1., and have 1TB hard disk, of which before the problem ca. 600GB were occupied, ca. 400GB free.
Dropbox announced some kind of major update, for which they first stored the files “somewhere” on my computer, then took a night-long to reinstall the files. However, the system announced that the reinstalling process could not be completed for lack of space on the hard disk, which is now indeed full with only 3GB free space left.
Somewhere on the hard disk a lot of files must be doubles. Neither online info, nor disc cleaning softwares, nor the Dropbox Support seem to be able to solve the problem. I had to deinstall dropbox to keep the rest of the computer working. Before I reset the system to ca. 2 weeks ago from the Time Machine (which would lose quite some material), I wonder if this problem rings a bell with any one of you who can help. Thank you (please write directly to me at giobbi@bluewin.ch).
Fortunately I pre-wrote quite a bit of these The Magic Memories 220 before the problem turned up, so below is what you get for this month, and if it finds your interest, there is more than enough to keep you busy until next month 🙂 – enjoy!
Addendum to “The Kaps Force”
In my report on the FISM convention in The Magic Memories 218, in my comments on Miguel Muñoz’ lecture (SEE HERE), I mentioned a forcing technique that I have dubbed “The Kaps Force” and published in Secret Agenda, writing that it was shown to me by Ron Wohl. If you need to remind yourself of the original “Kaps Force”, CLICK HERE.
This, of course, does not mean Ron is the creator of the sleight, although he might have shown it to Fred Kaps, whom he knew personally, or vice versa. They have both left us, so we cannot ask back.
Fact remains, that a similar dealing procedure was used by Larry Jennings in his trick “Prefiguration”. The original write-up appeared in Genii, FEB 1965, in Charlie Miller’s “Magicana” column. It was redescribed 1986 in Mike Maxwell’s The Classic Magic of LJ (p. 156), with different handling and intent.
I would not be surprised, though, if someone finds a predecessor somewhere, at least the concept of it, never mind the details of handling, which are manyfold.
Brief Genesis of “The Kaps Force”
On OCT 2nd, 2019, Allan Ackerman – in a private session we had after his lecture in Basel – pointed out to me that the forcing procedure had already been used by Larry Jennings in his trick “Prefiguration”. The principle is there, but Kaps has added a different handling, timing and purpose.
The actual “Discrepancy Deal Force” from p. 158 of “Prefiguration” from Maxwell’s The Classic Magic of LJ (1986) follows:
You now have a Five face down on the table, a Five fifth from the face, a Five sixth from the back, and a Five at the back of the deck. [RG: This is the set-up for “Prefiguration”.]
[RG: Here is where the forcing procedure starts]Hold the deck face up, begin to deal cards face up to the table one on top of the other. After you have dealt ten or fifteen cards, instruct the spectator to say “Stop” at any point. Try and time it so that he stops you somewhere near the center of the deck. As soon as he stops you, table the left-hand packet face down to your left.
Patter, “The fact that I dealt the cards face up could have influenced you.” At this point Larry slightly spreads the face-up pile and quickly searches for a card that can be used as a sort of impromptu indicator card. Let’s say for example, that the card on top of the face up pile is an Eight. If you are lucky, you might see that there is another Eight, eight cards away. Point out this “coincidence” to the spectators, telling them that it may have influenced where they said stop. Use your imagination here and try to find some sort of coincidence to back up your statement. The student will recognize this as the principle used in Dai Vernon’s, “The Trick That Cannot Be Explained”.
After the preceding byplay, which is designed to allow the spectators to forget that the face down portion is actually the original top of the deck, square up the face up pile. Tell the spectators that to make sure they were not influenced by any of the face up cards, you will use the next card, one that neither you nor they could possibly know the identity of. Turn the top card of the face down pile face up. This card will be a Five (the card that you originally glimpsed). [RG: This ends the forcing procedure]
My speculation is that Jennings showed this to Fred Kaps, from whom Ron Wohl saw it done. Ron then showed it to me, referencing Kaps.
In my opinion the whole paragraph above with the “patter” is too long and unnecessary. Simply pointing to the dealt cards and asking a Clouding Question like I suggest in Secret Agenda, i.e., “How many cards do you think I dealt?” This suffices to create a Positive Insertion that in the spectator’s Memory Timeline will substitute what really took place with what we want them to believe took place, an excellent example of “Change” in Memory Editing (see Sharing Secrets, p. 74/75).
I have over a dozen variations in handling and applications in my note on “The Kaps Force”. Looking into them I thought you might like “The Magic Circle Trick” (see below) that uses the Force in a larger context, which is precisely how it should be employed to camouflage the method.
It is a simple trick, self-working, that a beginner could do. But I know from myself, when I read Dai Vernon’s column “The Vernon Touch”, that even as an expert you can appreciate simple things.
Ascanio used to tell me, “The simple things are the privilege of the masters.” Nice way of putting it🙂
Here is the trick:
The Magic Circle Card Trick
Prologue: “I’m often asked if I’m a member of The Magic Circle. And if I had to pass an examination in order to become a member.»
«The answer to both is Yes.»
«And here is the trick I came up with and performed…»
True or not, use your artistic license…
Performance: Have the deck shuffled and cut. Take it back and in turning it face up glimpse the top card, e.g., the 8H.
Say that you are not going to change the order of the shuffled deck; emphasize this, and keep emphasizing it, as you put a prediction card (8D) face down on the table without the audience seeing its identity, “This is my prediction card.”
Once again run through the deck with the faces toward yourself, and put the 8C and the 8S face down diagonally overlapping the 8H: “This is the confirmation of the prediction, and this is the guarantee of the confirmation of the prediction.”
Still keeping the cards face up, go into the Kaps Force.
Turn the cards remaining in your hand face up and spread them face up in a closed circle around the face down selection (8D), “Representing not only the Magic Circle, but also all the other cards you could have chosen.”
Turn over the “selection”, then show the prediction matches!
Epilogue: “At this point I’m often asked what these other two cards are good…” Let the spectator turn them over, then say, “Just insurance, but I knew I wouldn’t need them!»”
Lest I forget… The production of the last two cards, in our example the Eights, is not a magic effect as such. But since they come in coda, as the Epilogue, it is a visually appealing way to close the piece and also serves as an Action of Recapitulation and an Action of Recall, reminding the audience of the overall-effect. Plus you now have a four-of-a-kind that you could use in your next piece.
Unexpected Agenda… On This Day: “October 5 – Paul Chosse on Jack McMillen”
As a reminder: This is a series within The Magic Memories, which looks at the entry in one of the Agendas – today Unexpected Agenda – on the day of its going online – today October 5th – and sheds some extra light on it with additional comments.
The entry in Unexpected Agenda of October 5th, “Paul Chosse on Jack McMillen”, has Paul Chosse tell us some of his memories about his friend and teacher Jack McMillen. As per usual, here is the entry for your convenience: CLICK HERE.
Although the entry speaks for itself and can be enjoyed without further investigation, as always, what makes it valuable are the concepts hidden between the lines for you to explore, and the ideas these trigger in your mind.
So, you might want “to do a little think” before you read on.
Done?
Here are three of my thoughts and suggestions in reference to October 5th:
1. The sentence that caught my fancy upon (re)reading it is:
“I do not even know that it made any difference to anyone else, but it made a difference to Jack, it brought the trick just an iota closer to perfection, so he used it.”
This phrase alone harbors a plenitude of things to think about, e.g., “Does our audience notice such small details?” Since Chosse does not tell us what the “little thing” is that Roger Klause showed McMillen, I will make an example:
“The deck is held in left-hand Dealing Position. For the right thumb to pick up a break under the top card of the deck, rather than lifting the top card, try to keep it steady and lower the rest of the deck.”
The tyro will argue that nobody will notice this. And even if he was right, how important is it for the artist and his work to consider such things? Hmmm…
Another question this phrase addresses is: “What is perfection? Can it be reached? And if it cannot be reached, what is the use of thinking about perfection? Is any of my tricks perfect? OK, let me take one of my tricks and try to bring it one step closer to perfection…” Hmmm…
2. Chosse and McMillen are two names most readers will never have heard of.
Do a little research and see what you find out.
Before writing the entry of October 5th, I contacted Chris Wasshuber from lybrary.com, who then connected me with the book’s author, Michael Landes.
This in turn triggered a year-long correspondence, in which Mr. Landes amiably shared hundreds of pieces of information with me concerning Chosse and McMillen (anecdotes, memories, opinions, techniques, tricks, subtleties… and so many things he regretted not having been able to put in his book about McMillen).
3. Chosse and McMillen are little-known names in magic nowadays.
The question this brings up is: Are there more people in magic that would fall in that category?
Make a list of little-known magicians… just card magicians would be enough to keep you busy for quite a while.
I know, because I have done it… if you are interested, check out my column in Genii 2015/07, where you will find precisely a “LIST OF GREAT LITTLE-KNOWN CARD MAGICIANS” (CLICK HERE).
And, oh my, there is so much more that this one entry can cause…
BTW: I got the text of the entry from an ad by lybrary.com for the PDF/e-book “Jack McMillen” by Michael Landes, a book I have repeatedly recommended in my writings, and still do, it is fantastic (CLICK HERE)!
Peter Marvey – The Magic-House
Just received an email from Peter Marvey, arguably Switzerland’s magic export number one, where he tells me about his latest big illusion to be installed in his “Magic-House” in Feusisberg, near Zürich, Switzerland; see the photo below (spoiler: it is not a card trick!).
I you plan to visit Switzerland this year, check out Peter’s home page; if you are lucky you might be able to buy ticket to his newest show – CLICK HERE.
All the best!
Roberto Giobbi
