Iskander Aliyev

My grandfather showed me one card trick at a wedding in Baku. He refused to explain it, so I spent the next six months wearing out a deck trying to reverse-engineer the move. I failed, then learned twenty other tricks by accident.

Close-up magic only works when you can see everything. Six chairs sit right against my kitchen table; you shuffle, hold the cards and watch from thirty centimetres away. I teach one sleight properly, then finish with the trick I still won't explain.

I am extremely bad at keeping ordinary surprises secret, including birthday gifts.