After the war he took part in the 1948 World Championship match-tournament of five top players, which decided the successor to Alekhine. This was won by Botvinnik, and Keres came equal third with Reshevsky. He was then the runner-up in the Candidates' tournament on four consecutive occasions: 1953, 1956, 1959 and 1962. Keres won the USSR championship three times, in 1947, 1950 and 1951. The latter was probably the strongest-ever Soviet championship; it had ten other players who had played in Candidates' tournaments, three of whom won the world title.