This is the first and only time Mickael Chatelain Linkcard trick secret revealed and explained how the it is done, step-by-step.
How the two playing card frames could apparently link together.
I am going to unravel and elaborate this linking cards secret, together with pictures and video snippets, so you can understand it better.
Welcome to another post from the Info Ruckus Magic Trick Secrets Revealed series.
In fact there are already many other versions of the interlocking cards trick in the market.
I have written an extensive post about the various linking cards magic trick, together with their secrets disclosed.
The basic method of the linking card tricks is similar to the famous Chinese Linking Rings.
In other words, there must be a gap or an opening to do the penetration trick.
For the Linking Rings trick, the ring with a gap or opening is called a Key Ring.
In fact, you can still do the linking rings routine without a Key Ring.
Read this post, “Linking Rings No Gap Trick Explained How It Works“.
Certainly, there are other methods of achieving this solid through solid penetration effect.
This post is about the 2023 linking card effect by French magician Mickael Chatelain.
Someone at the Magic Cafe site says his method seems identical to Paul Harris’ Cardboard Connection.
Then another comment says it is similar to the Clean Connection by Marc Oberon.
Watch Linkcard by Mickael Chatelain trailer below:
According to Mickael Chatelain his linking card version:
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
Mickael Chatelain Linkcard Secret Revealed
Let’s explore how the Linkcard by Mickael Chatelain trick is done with a gimmick card.
Why do I say the blue color playing card is a gimmick card?
At the onset, when he presents the two cards, his right forefinger keeps holding at the same spot on the blue card until the end of the trick.
Another clue is the way he opens up the blue card after he has finished the linking card trick.
At 1:05 under the pretext of straightening the blue card, his right middle finger strokes across the bottom right side.
Again at 1:23, he does the similar movement before he hands the cards to the young girl in the demo video.
I believe he is secretly removing the gimmick piece and palmed it in his right hand.
Gimmick Blue Card
In the picture below, you notice the bottom crease line looks like the typical slit opening in other linking cards tricks.
It is not the usual opening, but that is still where the secret of the Linkcard by Mickael Chatelain.
This is the point at the blue card, where he places the red card just before he separates them at 1:40.
Below is a closed-up view of the opening where he slips in and out the red card.
This is another clearer closed-up view of the slit from this video.
This crease edge appears thicker than the other folded edge of the card.
It is because there is another piece of card is attached on it.
At first, I thought Mickael Chatelain might use a magnet to hold the opening together.
As many of his creations used magnets, which include Card Card On Ribbon, Jet Box, Hole, and Cello.
Furthermore, I don’t think he uses glue to seal the tear in the card, like the One Card Link (OCL) by Ben Williams or Impossible Linking Cards by Ralf Rudolph.
Mickael Chatelain Linkcard Is Not Linked
In fact this is another hint how Mickael Chatelain does the penetration trick effect.
At 0:40 he meticulously slips in the red card into the blue card.
It looks like he is inserting it into the front part of the blue card.
It is because of the way he pushes the bottom tip of the folded blue card into the red card.
The red card does not link onto the blue card, as it appears.
It merely slots into an additional piece attached onto the blue card.
Blue Card Has No Slit Or Tear
The French magician Mickael Chatelain demonstrates the blue card is one solid piece without any cut, by giving it a few pulls at 0:47.
When he unlinks the cards, at 0:56 he pulls the red card straight out along 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 straight out along the blue card.
The again 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 hits onto the blue card, as seen below.
Linkcard Attached With An Extra Piece
If there is no gap or slit opening in the blue card, then how does the red card seems to penetrate it?
The truth is there is no penetration in the Linkcard trick by Mickael Chatelain.
In other words, the red card does not interlink at the hole of the blue card.
It just loops outside the blue card.
There is a small piece of card attached at the front corner of the blue card below the hole.
Probably the secret extra piece looks something like this.
The opening side is at the crease line, where the red card slots in and out.
To unlink the red card, he just pulls it straight out through this opening side.
You can see the edge of the attached piece when he opens up the blue card at 1:23.
Once more, you can see the edge of the secret piece between his right fingers.
Both images above can only be seen when you slow down the playback speed to 0.25.
Furthermore, I noticed the red card comes out slightly of the folded blue card at 0:52.
That must be the edge of the gimmick piece.
Similarly, you can also see it in this demo video at 0:27.
In short, the red card merely tucks between the small camouflaged piece that is attached onto the blue card.
It is somewhat identical to the Hypercards by Andrew Mayne, and also the K’Link Linking Cards by Kris Nevling.
Hypercards by Andrew Mayne
K’Link Linking Cards by Kris Nevling
Mickael Chatelain Linking Cards Secret
As I have mentioned above, his right forefinger keeps holding onto the same position on the blue card.
Before the playing cards are handed out for inspection, he secretly removes the small attached piece.
This is Mickael Chatelain Linkcard secret exposed and explained how the penetration trick is done without a tear or an opening in the card.