Ethyl 5-amino-3-oxo-1, 2-dihydro-1H-pyrazole-1-carboxylate undergoes selective cyclocondensation with 1, 3-dicarbonyl compounds or their synthetic equivalents to give ethyl 3-oxo-1, 2-dihydro-pyrazolo [3, 4-b] pyridine-1-carboxylates which are readily