The word Hanabi is Japanese and means something like fire flower or fireworks. In this case, Hanabi is an unusual cooperative and communicative card game. Cards with fireworks images must be laid down in rows ordered by colours and numbers. The only problem: The players take up their cards the wrong way around. Unlike in standard card play, they do not see their own hand of cards, but can always look at the cards of other players. From hints such as: “These cards are blue” or “You have a three, this is it” and with the knowledge from previous rounds, the player must identify which card he should play or discard. The number of hints is limited, and after three mistakes, the game is lost. Who can create the maximum number of points: the perfect fireworks?

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Jury statement
Hanabi is persuasive due to its unprecedented mix of collaborative, communicative and deductive game elements. Everybody holding the cards the wrong way round is not only a most unusual sight, but also promotes the concentrated interaction of the players. It is fascinating to watch how the groups harmonise better from game to game and learn to draw the right conclusions from wisely given hints. Success in creating a legendary firework of cards brings satisfaction to all involved.