From numerical grids that dazzle audiences in theatres to the ancient SATOR square carved in Pompeii, magic squares have fascinated conjurers and scholars for centuries. A meditation on mathematics, illusion, and the art of wonder, where order promises certainty and mystery always has the last word.

Andrea Baioni, international president of FISM, was born in Ravenna in 1963. He has been a member of the Italian Magic Club since 1977 and a member of the board of directors since 2000. In 2008, he founded and took over the management of CMI College, the Italian magic team.He is the author of articles for the magazine Magia Moderna and has contributed effects and essays on magic to...