How to Stage a Siege on His Heart.

Want him to surrender his love? Follow these man-baiting moves to blast his romantic defense system to smithereens.

* You may think that playing it sweet and demure is the quickest way to capture a guy's heart. But the romance arena can be a battlefield, and sometimes you won't win the fight unless you bring out the heavy artillery, ambush the enemy, and launch an all-out assault. Reluctant to stage a coup d'amour" Remember, all's fair in love and war.

So gear up, love lieutenants. Here are some man-conquering maneuvers guaranteed to help you infiltrate his psyche, torpedo through his commitment barriers, and get him to surrender to you completely.

Divide and Conquer

You spot a guy at a bar who you'd like to make your POL (prisoner of love). But if the object of your desire is surrounded by his buddy brigade, they can sabotage your attempts to score. For starters, you'll be competing against them for his attention. Even if yon do get him to notice you, will you be able to maneuver your best pick-up tactics in front of an audience? Probably not.

1 According to prevailing military maxi, if yon isolate your man before making your move, you have a better shot at capturing him. So pry your guy away from his pals for some face-to-face time with just you. How? Stay on his turf and appeal to his male ego. Whether it's tax shelters, rock climbing, or the finer points of transmission repair, coax him into a conversation that makes him feel comfortable and smart. (But don't fake interest or you'll come off as a phony.) Letting him rap about his expertise will put him in familiar (read: safe) territory and chase away his chums because they've heard his spiel ad nauseum. If he's still distracted, enlist his help for a two-person task, whether it's beating the highest score on a video game or carrying a round of drinks. That gives him a sense of purpose and removes him from the pack. In civilian terms: United, he stands; divided, he'll fall...for you.

The separating strategy worked for Cassie [o], 29, a financial consultant, who lured her crush away by appealing to his sense of chivalry. "His boys were at the bar swapping stories, so I told him that my shoes were killing me and I needed to sit down and could use company. He found a table and actually massaged my feet--something he'd never have done if his friends were around."