Silylated hydroquinone 4-hydroxybenzoate (HHB) was polycondensed with aliphatic dicarboxylic acid dichlorides (ADADs) in bulk at temperature up to 240 degreesC. These polycondensations proceeded in the nematic phase, and both transesterification and "backbiting" degradation were avoided as evidenced by H-1 NMR spectroscopy. The nematic LC phases were characterized by optical microscopy and DSC measurements. The MALDI-TOF mass spectra revealed the formation of even-membered cycles (in addition to linear oligomers), whereas odd-membered cycles were almost absent. When the reaction mixture was slightly diluted with 1-chloronaphthalene, so that the polycondensation proceeded in the isotropic phase, odd-membered cycles with a predominance of the cyclic trimer were found. When free HHB was polycondensed with ADADs in 1-chloronaphthalene at 220 degreesC in 1,2-dichlorobenzene at 190 degreesC or in the presence of pyridine at 5-10 degreesC, again odd-membered cycles were found. Obviously, the nematic phase enforces a parallel alignment of polyester chains with strong electronic interaction of neighboring mesogens, so that cyclization can only occur in the case of even-membered chains via hairpin conformations of the aliphatic spacers.