The Ni-catalyzed reaction of aromatic amides with alkynes in the presence of KOBu t involves C-H/N-H oxidative annulation to give 1(2H)-isoquinolinones. A key to the success of the reaction is the use of a catalytic amount of strong base, such as KOBu t . The reaction shows a high functional group compatibility. The reaction with unsymmetrical alkynes, such as 1-arylalkynes, gives the corresponding 1(2H)-isoquinolinones with a high level of regioselectivity. This discovery would lead to the development of Ni-catalyzed chelation-assisted C-H functionalization reactions without the need for a specific chelation system.