Sports Quiz – Tamil Nadu & Indian Sports Questions
Sport in Tamil Nadu: from Chepauk to the chessboard
Tamil Nadu has a deep love for sport. Chennai's cricket crowds at Chepauk are famous for their knowledge and their noise, the state has produced a string of chess grandmasters, and villages still play traditional games that are hundreds of years old. This sports quiz covers all of it – modern champions, famous venues and the traditional sports that are part of Tamil culture. Every question has four options and an explanation you can read after the game.
What you will be asked about
- Chess – Viswanathan Anand, India's first grandmaster and a former world champion, and D. Gukesh, who won the World Chess Championship in 2024.
- Cricket – Chepauk, Chennai Super Kings and Tamil Nadu cricketers such as R. Ashwin, K. Srikkanth and S. Venkataraghavan.
- Tennis, squash and table tennis – Vijay Amritraj, Ramanathan Krishnan, Dipika Pallikal and Sharath Kamal.
- Traditional games – Jallikattu, Silambam, Sadugudu and Pallanguzhi.
Interesting facts
Chennai is often called India's chess capital, and for good reason. Viswanathan Anand became India's first grandmaster in 1988, won his first world title in 2000 and was the first person to receive India's highest sporting honour, the Khel Ratna. In 2022 the Chess Olympiad was held at Mamallapuram, near Chennai, and in 2024 Chennai's D. Gukesh defeated Ding Liren to become world champion.
Cricket has a long history here too. The M. A. Chidambaram Stadium at Chepauk is one of India's oldest Test venues and the home ground of Chennai Super Kings. K. Srikkanth, the attacking opener from Chennai, was part of India's 1983 World Cup-winning team, and former captain S. Venkataraghavan later became a respected international umpire.
Traditional sports remain close to people's hearts. Jallikattu, the bull-taming sport held during Pongal, draws huge crowds at places like Alanganallur near Madurai. Kabaddi is known in Tamil Nadu as Sadugudu, and Silambam is a martial art played with a bamboo staff. At home, families still play Pallanguzhi, a board game of pits and seeds or shells.
Tips for sports quizzes
- Match player to sport. Many questions simply ask which sport a famous name plays – learn the list.
- Know the venues. Stadium names and the places where big events were held come up often.
- Do not forget tradition. Questions on Jallikattu, Silambam and Sadugudu reward people who know Tamil culture.
- Read the explanations. They add a little context that makes each fact easier to remember.
Keep playing
Enjoyed this one? Try the festivals and food quiz to learn more about Pongal, or the Tamil Nadu GK quiz. Our post on the four days of Pongal explains where Jallikattu fits in the festival.
Now take the sports quiz above and see how many you can get right. In the TNChatZone app you can earn coins for playing – just for fun, with no cash value – and challenge your friends to beat your score.
All 22 questions with answers
Try to answer before you tap "Show answer".
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The Chepauk cricket stadium in Chennai is officially named after whom?
- A. M. A. Chidambaram
- B. Kamaraj
- C. Anna
- D. Nehru
Show answer
✅ M. A. Chidambaram
The stadium at Chepauk is named after M. A. Chidambaram, a former president of the BCCI.
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Who became India's first chess grandmaster?
- A. Pentala Harikrishna
- B. Viswanathan Anand
- C. D. Gukesh
- D. Koneru Humpy
Show answer
✅ Viswanathan Anand
Viswanathan Anand from Chennai became India's first chess grandmaster in 1988.
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Which captain led Chennai Super Kings to their first IPL title in 2010?
- A. Suresh Raina
- B. MS Dhoni
- C. Faf du Plessis
- D. Ravindra Jadeja
Show answer
✅ MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni captained Chennai Super Kings to their first IPL title in 2010.
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Whom did D. Gukesh defeat to win the 2024 World Chess Championship?
- A. Magnus Carlsen
- B. Ding Liren
- C. Ian Nepomniachtchi
- D. Fabiano Caruana
Show answer
✅ Ding Liren
D. Gukesh beat China's Ding Liren in Singapore in December 2024 to become world chess champion.
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Chess world champion D. Gukesh is from which city?
- A. Madurai
- B. Coimbatore
- C. Chennai
- D. Tiruchirappalli
Show answer
✅ Chennai
D. Gukesh was born and raised in Chennai, which has produced many of India's chess grandmasters.
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Where in Tamil Nadu was the 44th Chess Olympiad held in 2022?
- A. Madurai
- B. Coimbatore
- C. Ooty
- D. Mamallapuram
Show answer
✅ Mamallapuram
The 44th Chess Olympiad was held at Mamallapuram, near Chennai, in July and August 2022.
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In which year did Viswanathan Anand win his first World Chess Championship title?
- A. 2000
- B. 1995
- C. 2007
- D. 2010
Show answer
✅ 2000
Viswanathan Anand won the FIDE World Championship in 2000, becoming the first Indian world chess champion.
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Who was the first recipient of India's Khel Ratna award (now the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna)?
- A. Sachin Tendulkar
- B. Viswanathan Anand
- C. Leander Paes
- D. Karnam Malleswari
Show answer
✅ Viswanathan Anand
Viswanathan Anand received the first Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, India's highest sporting honour, for 1991–92.
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Jallikattu is a traditional Tamil sport involving which animal?
- A. Horse
- B. Elephant
- C. Bull
- D. Buffalo
Show answer
✅ Bull
In Jallikattu, young men try to hold on to the hump of a running bull; it is held during the Pongal season.
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Alanganallur, famous for its Jallikattu event, is near which city?
- A. Coimbatore
- B. Salem
- C. Vellore
- D. Madurai
Show answer
✅ Madurai
Alanganallur, near Madurai, hosts one of the best-known Jallikattu events every year during Pongal.
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In Tamil Nadu, Kabaddi is traditionally also known by which name?
- A. Sadugudu
- B. Silambam
- C. Uriyadi
- D. Pallanguzhi
Show answer
✅ Sadugudu
Kabaddi is called Sadugudu in Tamil Nadu, after the chant raiders repeat while holding their breath.
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Pallanguzhi is a traditional Tamil game played on a board with what?
- A. Dice and tokens
- B. Playing cards
- C. Pits and seeds or shells
- D. Marbles in a ring
Show answer
✅ Pits and seeds or shells
Pallanguzhi is a mancala-type board game in which players move seeds or cowrie shells around rows of pits.
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Which IPL team plays its home matches at Chepauk in Chennai?
- A. Mumbai Indians
- B. Royal Challengers Bengaluru
- C. Kolkata Knight Riders
- D. Chennai Super Kings
Show answer
✅ Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings play their home games at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk.
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Which Tamil Nadu batter was part of India's 1983 Cricket World Cup-winning team?
- A. K. Srikkanth
- B. S. Venkataraghavan
- C. W. V. Raman
- D. L. Sivaramakrishnan
Show answer
✅ K. Srikkanth
K. Srikkanth, the attacking opener from Chennai, was a member of Kapil Dev's 1983 World Cup-winning side.
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Former India captain S. Venkataraghavan later became famous as an international ___.
- A. Coach
- B. Umpire
- C. Commentator
- D. Selector
Show answer
✅ Umpire
After his playing career, off-spinner S. Venkataraghavan became a respected international umpire, standing in Tests and ODIs.
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R. Ashwin from Chennai is best known as what type of cricketer?
- A. Fast bowler
- B. Wicketkeeper
- C. Off-spin bowler
- D. Leg-spin bowler
Show answer
✅ Off-spin bowler
Ravichandran Ashwin is an off-spin bowler and one of India's most successful Test bowlers.
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Vijay Amritraj, born in Chennai, is a famous name in which sport?
- A. Badminton
- B. Squash
- C. Table tennis
- D. Tennis
Show answer
✅ Tennis
Vijay Amritraj was one of India's top tennis players in the 1970s and 1980s and later became a commentator.
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Ramanathan Krishnan and his son Ramesh Krishnan both represented India in which sport?
- A. Tennis
- B. Cricket
- C. Hockey
- D. Chess
Show answer
✅ Tennis
Ramanathan Krishnan and his son Ramesh Krishnan were leading Indian tennis players and both played in the Davis Cup.
-
The Chennai Open was a professional tournament in which sport?
- A. Golf
- B. Tennis
- C. Badminton
- D. Squash
Show answer
✅ Tennis
The Chennai Open was an ATP men's tennis tournament held in Chennai for many years.
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Dipika Pallikal Karthik is a well-known Indian player in which sport?
- A. Tennis
- B. Badminton
- C. Squash
- D. Table tennis
Show answer
✅ Squash
Dipika Pallikal Karthik, from Chennai, is one of India's best-known squash players.
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Achanta Sharath Kamal, from Chennai, is a champion in which sport?
- A. Squash
- B. Badminton
- C. Tennis
- D. Table tennis
Show answer
✅ Table tennis
Sharath Kamal is one of India's most successful table tennis players, with many Commonwealth Games medals.
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Mariyappan Thangavelu won Paralympic gold at Rio 2016 in which event?
- A. High jump
- B. Long jump
- C. Javelin throw
- D. Shot put
Show answer
✅ High jump
Mariyappan Thangavelu, from Salem district, won gold in the men's high jump (T42) at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.
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