Kwong later wrote his history honors thesis on Oriental magicians and their impersonators: “I was captivated by stories of these magicians at the turn of the twentieth century, what’s commonly known as the Golden Age of Magic.” His love for magic extended outside the classroom as well. Though a long-time magic aficionado, he didn’t become interested in professional magic until freshman year, when he attended a performance by Ricky Jay, who “gave an absolutely scintillating talk” on the history of magic. “In the 25 years I’ve been a magician, I’ve never before invented my own brand-new trick,” he admits. When he’s completed the collaborative puzzle, he reveals the identity of the hidden card-miraculously embedded within the newly made crossword.Īlthough Kwong’s beginnings in magic stem from simple sleight-of-hand tricks he learned as a kid from books and a magic set he received as a gift, the evolution of his conjuring skills to include crossword construction is a career milestone. I can start to stump them and give them more interesting clues.” As people solve his challenges, he fills the grid with their answers, riffing cleverly off the audience responses as he goes along and occasionally blocking out black squares in classic crossword style. “The smarter the audience, the more fun it is, I think. “A successful and engaging performance comes from performing for a sophisticated and savvy audience,” he notes. Public participation is crucial in Kwong’s act. (“It all ripples outward from the middle,” he says of these performance-piece puzzles.) Next he tosses verbal clues to the crowd, seeking words common in Times crosswords. Then, standing in front of an easel holding a large blank grid of crossword squares, he asks the room for a word suggestion and fills the center of the grid with those letters to start things off. He begins by asking an audience member to choose a card from a standard deck and keep it hidden from him. Kwong’s interests in crossword puzzles and prestidigitation propelled him into the New York Times for his one-of-a-kind fusion of card trick and word game. “I’m trying to combine my interests all the time.” "It’s cross-pollination,” says magician and crossword connoisseur David R.
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