"Your Move."
By J. F. Orrin, A.I.M.C.

The success of a magical experiment depends largely upon the element of surprise, and that is the chief feature of the problem I am about to describe. There is a peculiar satisfaction in suddenly springing a surprise upon one's audience, and the spectators themselves are not slow to respond to the performer's efforts in this direction.

Effect--
The performer shows a sheet of cartridge paper and then rolls it into a tube, securing it with a rubber band. Two white handkerchiefs are shown and one is pushed through the tube to show "all fair." The other handkerchief is then pushed through, but emerges dyed black. The two handkerchiefs, black and white, are next pushed through and they are seen to have blended in the form of a silk draughtboard. The cartridge paper is unrolled and shown empty.

While pattering, the performer again rolls up the cartridge paper and pushes the draught board into one end. Then, suddenly, he stands the tube on end on the table, and lifts it up, revealing a complete set of draughts stacked one upon the other. These are afterwards scattered to show that they are separate, and the tube is shown empty, the draught board having vanished.

Method--
The first part of the problem requires little explanation. A colour-changing tube is used; this is loaded with three handkerchiefs, one white, one black, and one chequered. The last mentioned is larger than the other two and is best made by stencilling black squares on a white silk.

The production of the draughts is rather more interesting. When I stated that a complete set of draughts was produced I was not quite correct. As a matter of fact, when the paper tube is lifted, it reveals a stack of only eighteen draughts, but the spectators do not have an opportunity of counting them even if they wanted to, and, anyway, it is the broad effect that counts.

To make the set of draughts it is as well to enlist the services of a wood turner, unless you are yourself the proud possessor of a lathe. First of all, a cylinder of wood is turned up. This should be nine inches long and two inches in diameter. From this cut thirteen slices, each half an inch thick. Seven. of these are stained yellow, and the remaining six are painted black. The rest of the cylinder, which should be two and a half inches long, is not sliced up, but is hollowed out (see Fig. 3) and is painted on the outside to represent a pile of five draughts, three black and two white, arranged alternately.

So much for the draughts. To enable them to be loaded into the cylinder, a tube of cartridge paper (Fig. 2) is made. It should be nine and a half inches long and should fit easily over the pile of draughts. Both ends are open, but two pieces of white thread are stretched across one end.

Preparation--
The colour-changing tube is loaded with the chequered silk, a black silk, and a white one. It is placed on the servante of the table to the performer's left. The sheet of cartridge paper (which should measure ten inches by fourteen) is placed on the table, slightly over-hanging the rear edge. The right hand rear corner of the paper should just cover the colour-changing tube.

To prepare the load of draughts, the fake pile of five draughts is placed on the table, opening downwards. The loose draughts are piled on top, first a yellow, then a black, and so on {Fig. 1). When all are stacked they represent a pile of eighteen draughts, arranged alternately. The upper-most draught (a yellow one) should be covered with white paper on its upper side. The paper tube is then placed over the stack and the whole load is suspended behind table on the performer's right, by means of two hooks. Perhaps "suspended" is hardly the correct word, as the hooks should be large enough to enable the load to be rested comfortably on them. It is important that the open end of the load should be towards the performer.

Patter and Working Notes--
"For my next experiment I use a sheet of cartridge paper. I am always particular about it being cartridge paper, because then the trick is bound to go off all right. (Pick up paper and handkerchief tube with left hand and transfer both to right hand. The tube is concealed by the paper. The paper is turned up with the left hand to show the other side, the tube being concealed in the right hand. Lastly, the paper is rolled up with the tube inside it and secured with a rubber band. The changing tube must have sufficient room to allow it to slide freely. incidentally the paper should be rolled the long way.)

"It is a funny thing, but as soon as a conjurer sees a sheet of cartridge paper he immediately rolls it into a tube and starts pushing things through it. I will push this white handkerchief through and see what happens. (Allow fake to drop to bottom of tube and grip it through paper. Push handkerchief into fake, when it is well in take wand and push fake upwards till the duplicate handkerchief appears at top of tube. Remove this and allow fake to drop down the tube again; the little finger prevents it dropping right out.) You see what has happened, nothing. I'll try again with this one. (Second silk is pushed through.) Things are beginning' to look rather black, aren't they?

"Never mind, I'll just push both handkerchiefs in together and see what happens. Excuse me, sir, I hope you are not bored, you are not sitting in a draught, are you? I think you must be, for here is a draught board. (Produce chequered silk and in spreading it on table let fake slide into well. Show paper empty and then place on right hand table in readiness for second load.)

"That isn't a bad little trick is it? But, you know some people are never satisfied. I was performing this at a concert the other evening, yes, rather a posh affair it was--at Battersea swimming baths, and I made quite a splash. But there was a gentleman there, very nice but rather argumentative; he said: 'That's the worst of you conjurers, you never seem to do anything really useful. What's the good of a draught board without the draughts?' I said, 'Perhaps you are right, sir, but as a matter of fact, here are the draughts! What more do you want?' He was so flabbergasted that he forgot to ask me what had become of the draught board."

During the last portion of the patter the most important move of all has taken place. The cartridge paper is picked up with the right hand, together with the concealed load of draughts. The right hand grips the paper tightly and both paper and load are brought round in front of the body. This brings the load into view, but only for a second, because the paper is immediately roiled into a tube again. Moreover, the load is all white, and the performer is talking all the time. Everything depends upon the move being performed naturally, and with absolutely no semblance of hurry; this would be fatal. Bear in mind that the load is actually exposed for about a second, but owing to the circumstances in which the move is performed it is not seen. It is a very bare-faced move and it is this fact which ensures its success.

Having rolled up the paper the rubber band is slipped over the tube, this time tightly gripping the fake, which should be about the centre of the tube. The draughts are then permitted to slide gently down to the bottom of the paper tube. All this time the performer has been pattering, and has taken the draught board and without special comment upon it, has pushed it into the paper tube--really into the cavity in the fake pile of draughts. The tube is then placed upright on the table and removed with the left hand, leaving the pile of draughts standing on the table. Some of the draughts are now scattered, and the paper robe shown empty and thrown on the floor, the "cotton" end of the fake being away from the audience.