Today was the last day of the close-up contest with some of the stronger acts kept for last.

A day with a number of ‘award winners’, Shawn Farquhar who was ‘Well executed and great response from the crowd’, and Marc Oberon got ‘Some audible gasps at the visual changes’ seemed to be the best of the bunch in this session.

Craig’s reports and views as he saw the acts performing today are below

1. Giacomo de Carlo – Cards – Italy
Let’s play soccer during a close-up show as Kings equal the Italian soccer team, and Jacks equal the French team. All very confusing ending with the an obvious trophy production.

2. Shota – Micro – Japan
Appearing coffee cup, coffee beans, coins across and card discovery inside the beans. Mmmmmmm – my ability to understand some of the acts is going with age.

3. Kristian Nivala – Cards – Finland
A card routine done to live piano accompaniment – appearing card box from within the deck, ace to jumbo cards, color changing decks etc.

4. Latko – Micro – Argentina
A great creative act featuring cups and balls with dice, matrix, dice cascade, transformation to chess board, appearing chess pieces ending with a glass production. The act did better at IBM SAM where it hit home much stronger, but nevertheless some original ideas.

5. Lv Siyuan – Cards – Japan
Another strange act to the soundtrack of Beauty & the Beast with cards, coin matrix and many of the moves plainly exposed on the washed out projection screen.

6. Dai Hewga – Cards – Japan
A very visual appearance of a new deck from a clear cellophane wrapper, card selections, discoveries and final reveal of the signed card within an ipod.

7. Johan Stahl – Micro – Sweden
Sue-Anne Webster plays volunteer in a charming act done to music featuring coffee cup, sugar cubes, jumping pen to ear, some stunning visual changes of pen to chocolate bar, pen to spoon ending with final production of actual coffee.

8. Shawn Farquhar – Cards – Canada
Shawn performed his now legendary ‘Shape of my Heart’ act along with his ‘sealed for your protection’ routine with signed card ending up in a sealed deck. Well executed and great response from the crowd.

9. Vittorio Belloni – Micro – Italy
Appearance of invisible coins, deck transforms to transparent cards – along with the use of the words ‘big bastards’ during performance. The low light of the video projection hindered viewing.

10. Alexander Popov – Cards – Russia
Red light excitement as another act is disqualified for being below FISM standard. Alexander has the strangest means of shuffling a deck ever – along with hitting himself in the head to find a card. Heaven help us.

11. Marc Oberon – Micro – UK
Marc performed his Midas act as seen at IBM SAM with everything he touches turning to gold. Some audible gasps at the visual changes.

12. Matsuda – Micro – Japan
A dealer demonstration that should not have been allowed.

13. Kiko Pastur – Cards – Spain
Disqualified for being over time. Printing cards, cards without faces, blindfolded discovery. Monotonous tone was fast putting me to sleep.

14. Magic Julian – Micro – Peru
“If this works I freak out” says this strange performer that combined a digital / live action sequence which ultimately resulted us watching more computer animation (that we are supposed to believe is live footage) than anything else. Looked like something out of a video editing studio. Ridiculous.

Read all of the reporting as we get it Direct from China by clicking here

Craig Mitchell has allowed us to duplicate his reports from the Genii Forum