Budapest, Nov 10 (PTI) Indian Grandmaster R Vaishali is looking to add more dimensions to her game and evolve into a "universal player" as she prepares to challenge China's Ju Wenjun for the Women's World Championship next year.
Known for her aggressive approach over the board, Vaishali believes that mastering different types of positions will be essential to establish herself among the very best in the game.
"Obviously, I win a lot of games because of my aggressive style. But I think when you want to go to the top, you have to know how to play all types of positions," Vaishali told PTI on the sidelines of the Total Chess World Championship Tour pilot here.
"So it's something I've been working on to become a universal player. Yeah, it's a process," she added.
The Indian, who secured her World Championship match berth by winning the Women's Candidates tournament earlier this year, sees the Total Chess pilot as a valuable opportunity to test herself against an elite field while preparing for the biggest challenge of her career.
"I see this event as training for my (World Championship) match. Every day is going to be a challenge here," she said.
Although the date of the World Championship match is yet to be finalised, Vaishali said she was focused on making the most of her preparation rather than allowing the uncertainty to affect her plans.
"It's not clear when the (World Championship) match will be. But I have been training to be the best version of myself for the match," she said.
Vaishali's schedule remains packed. After the Budapest event, she will compete in the Women's Freestyle Chess Finals in Germany before heading to Istanbul for the World Rapid and Blitz Championships.
"I have other tournaments planned, so it's not like I'm not doing anything," she said.
One of only two women in the 24-player field, Vaishali also welcomed the opportunity to compete alongside some of the biggest names in chess, including world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen.
"I am quite excited for the tournament. It's quite a strong field. I am thankful to the organisers for giving this to women's sport," she said.
(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)