This paper describes the different strategies devised and applied to overcome the selectivity issues in the syntheses of 6,7-disubstituted-1H-quinolin-4-one, 7-substituted-1H-1,6-naphthyridin-4-one and 6-substituted-1H-1,7-naphthyridin-4-one derivatives. They allowed us to improve the overall yields and the scating-up feasibility. Several examples illustrate these strategies with their advantages and drawbacks. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.