Join me to explore the Linkcard by Mickael Chatelain, and find out his method of linking two cards trick.
In fact there is already many other versions of linking cards magic trick available in the market.
The linking card tricks are somewhat similar to the famous Chinese Linking Rings.
In other words, there must be a gap or an opening to do the penetration trick.
This post is about the 2023 linking card effect by Mickael Chatelain.
Someone at the Magic Cafe site says his method of showing the cards linked seems identical to Paul Harris’ Cardboard Connection, but the handling is slightly different.
The gimmick of Mickael Chatelain is less to hide and easier to get rid off.
One guy says it is similar to Clean Connection by Marc Oberon.
My speculation of this card linking trick method is solely based on viewing the Linkcard trailer.
Watch Linkcard by Mickael Chatelain trailer below:
they are regular playing cards
you can perform it in five minutes, if you know the secret
in the end everything is one hundred percent examinable
no change or switch, give cards immediately to your spectators
Linkcard By Mickael Chatelain Explained
As seen from the video clip, Linkcard by Mickael Chatelain does not use impromptu cards.
The two cards are already prepared beforehand, and I think the hidden rip or slit opening is at the blue card.
But I do not know precisely how his gimmick works.
After he has linked or looped both cards, he spreads open the blue card, and I notice the bottom crease line is disjointed, as seen below.
I believe this is where the secret rip or gap at the blue card.
This is the spot at the blue card, where he places the red card just before he dislodges it at 1:40.
Below is the closed-up view of the secret slit or tear line.
As you can see from the image below, folded line on the face of the blue card looks different from the normal crease of the red card.
This crease edge appears thicker than the other folded edge of the card.
I presume the concealed slit opening is probably held together with magnets.
I say this, is because it seems Mickael Chatelain is fond of using magnets in many of his creations, which include Card Card On Ribbon, Jet Box, Hole, and Cello.
I don’t think he uses glue like the One Card Link (OCL) by Ben Williams or Impossible Linking Cards By Ralf Rudolph.
At 0:40 when he slips in the blue card to the red card, I think he has already linked the two cards together.
It is because of the way he pushes the bottom tip of the folded blue card into the red card.
The French magician Mickael Chatelain proves it is one complete blue card, without any cut by giving it a few pulls at 0:47.
But he pulls only the top part of the blue card.
To convince it further, the blue card is not gimmicked, at 0:49, he tugs the red card down twice onto the blue card.
Again he avoids hitting the folded part, where I think the tear or cut is.
To separate the cards, at 0:56 he pulls the red card out through the folded edge of the blue card.
This visual is captured from the video at the slow playback speed.
Here is another similar scene at 1:18 where he slides the red card out through the folded edge of the blue card.
At 1:42, when he swiftly pulls out the red card from the blue card, the half fold part of the blue card swings backward.
It is because the red card cuts through the folded edge of the blue card, as seen below.
At the end of the act at 1:05, as he opens up the card, his middle finger and his thumb runs through the creased tear area.
Probably he is secretly pressing the slit to ensure magnetic-held gap is safely sealed and properly aligned.
Then at 1:06 it looks like he does not actually tug or pull the blue card to reassure there is no concealed cut or gap.
He just gives the blue card a quick light shake.
Mickael Chatelain Linkcard Examinable?
According to Mickael Chatelain, his Linkcard trick does not need to change or switch and it is can be fully examined.
But when I watched the brief scene of the trailer of the young girl inspects the two cards, I noticed something rather odd.
Remember it is just my observations, and I could be wrong.
At 1:26, when Mickael Chatelain passes the two cards to the young girl, the blue card is on the top.
As you can see the blue card is on the top when it it handed to her hands
Strangely instead of examining the blue card right away, she removes it, and palms it in her right hand at 1:27.
She really inspects the red card thoroughly by giving it a firm tug diagonally.
She even grips right to the torn out frame area to pull it.
Next she turns to the face of the card around gives it another good pull.
Briefly, the palmed blue card is out of the camera view.
Now let’s observe how she examines the blue card.
After she has lifts up the blue card, and gives it a quick pull.
It appears to me she does not pull the card diagonally, as you can see from the positions of her thumbs.
Then at 1:33, she places both her thumbs at the lower part of the card and pulls it.
Next she moves both her thumbs to the top part of the card to examine.
Watch the full sequence when she inspects the blue card from 1:31.
Strangely all the times, she does not even touch or pull these crease area for both cards.
I also wonder why she doesn’t just hook her fingers of both hands into the torn out window frame of both cards to give it a firm tug.
Watch the full sequence after Mickael Chatelain handed both cards to the young girl, from 1:26 to 1:37.
This is what I reckon how Linkcard by Mickael Chatelain is done with a concealed cut at the creased line of the blue card to achieve the penetration effect.
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