However, the bottom line is that Bronstein was not nearly as strong at chess as Botvinnik. The only major tournament which Bronstein ever won was the 1950 Candidates tournament, and that was really only a fluke tie for first with Boleslavsky. After he drew his 1951 world championship match with Botvinnik, Bronstein was never again a major threat to become world chess champion. When Botvinnik also drew the next world championship match in 1954, this time with Smyslov, the rumor then was that these drawn matches were all prearranged as proof of the innate superiority of the Soviet system. Under Communism, all players will eventually rise to equal rank.
All men are the same, or so says Marxist theory.
Later, in the 1960s, Fischer tried to have a match arranged with Botvinnik. Fischer's belief was that Botvinnik was really still the chess champion of the world. Meanwhile, his opponent, believing that Botvinnik was finished, was psychologically unprepared to face such a strong and rejuvenated opponent. Because the rematch clause seemed to give the champion an unfair advantage, FIDE voted to change the rules and strip the world chess champion of that right. Thus, when Botvinnik lost to Petrosian in 1963, he, for the first time, did not have the opportunity for a rematch.